Focus grants

Chief Investigator

Dr Anna Yeung

Organisation

Woolcock Institute

Awarded funding

$55,200 (3 years)

Silicosis is an incurable lung disease caused by the inhalation of crystalline silica dusts. It affects multiple industries where workers quarry, process and use mineral materials including mining, construction, ceramics, glass manufacturing, and even in textiles.

However, the rapid rise in silicosis cases over the past decade has been attributed to working with artificial stone, a composite material made of more than 90 per cent silica, pigments and polymer resins. Alarmingly we are observing more accelerated and acute forms of silicosis with shortened onset times for fibrosis after exposure to high concentrations of silica dusts. As there are currently no effective treatments for silicosis, our focus is on preventative measures to reduce hazardous exposures to silica dust when working with artificial stone.

This project proposes to monitor and collect environmental data from factories to understand the exposure levels faced by workers during artificial stone processing. We will also evaluate the effectiveness of a number of relatively inexpensive N95/P2 grade face masks in protecting against respirable silica dusts and determine best practices for working with artificial stone when engineering controls are not accessible.

Finally, we recognise that artificial stone work may be carried out by untrained personnel from non-English speaking backgrounds who may not know about silicosis. As such we will produce a multi-language pamphlet based on the results of the study to warn and educate workers on the dangers of working with artificial stone.

Chief Investigator

Professor Fraser Brims

Organisation

University of Western Australia

Awarded funding

$103,551 (1.5 years)

The recent introduction of artificial stone into Australia has resulted in workers being exposed to extremely dangerous levels of silica dust. This has caused more than 330 cases of silicosis in Australia so far.

Screening for the early signs of silicosis is vital, however, the best way to identify silicosis is not known. In Australia we are using chest X-rays (CXR) to try to identify silicosis. The CXR has been used for over 100 years and now doctors more commonly use a CT scan to look for chest disease because they are far more accurate. For instance, in Queensland, doctors think that up to four in 10 CXRs have missed early silicosis.

Therefore, CXR may not be the best way to find early silicosis. But, standard CT scans use a lot more radiation than a CXR, and doctors are worried they may cause harm by using CT scans too much.

In Western Australia, we have access to the latest technology of CT scanner that gives almost the same dose of radiation as a CXR, and yet we get a much better picture of what is happening in the lungs. We believe that this ‘low dose CT’ scan will be better than a CXR at finding silicosis and at a much safer radiation level.

Our project aims to compare chest x-rays with low dose CT scans to find which is more accurate for diagnosing early silicosis. The results may change the way we look for silicosis in Australia and other countries.

Chief Investigator

Dr Sharyn Gaskin

Organisation

University of Adelaide

Awarded funding

$224,872 (2 years)

The introduction of engineered stone products has led to incidence of silicosis following shorter exposure periods and shorter latency periods than with natural stone. This project will aim to compare the physical, chemical and toxicological properties of the emissions of engineered stone with those of natural stone, and to identify dust control measures best able to eliminate the risk of silicosis from these products.

Dust samples from machining of engineered stone and natural stone will be examined for differences in particle size, electrostatic charge, elemental composition, and VOC emissions. Emissions from cutting, polishing and grinding will be measured using a range of wetting techniques and dust control technologies to identify best practice control measures.

Finally, using a hydroxyl free radical assay, the toxicological properties of freshly-generated emissions of engineered stone will be compared with those of natural stone, and with aged engineered stone samples to determine whether toxicity decays with time.

A report with recommendations for stakeholders will provide evidence on dust toxicological and morphological profiles and also advice on risks and control measures. Ultimately, the project should assist in reducing respiratory health risks for workers, and add to scientific knowledge.

Chief Investigator

Dr Matthew Soeberg

Organisation

Asbestos Diseases Research Institute (ADRI)

Awarded funding

$57,000 (1.5 years)

Understanding the total impact of dust diseases in a community requires information about when a person was diagnosed or treated with the disease and when they died. Unlike diseases such as malignant mesothelioma, silicosis does not have a historic disease register to measure incidence and mortality. An alternative and novel approach is needed.

In this project, we will collect national data about the number of hospitalisations and deaths due to silicosis. For mortality data, we can track this data back to 1997. We will also request the data for NSW only. Importantly, we will collect these data held by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare where silicosis is either the primary reason for hospitalisation or death or an associated reason for hospitalisation or death. For example, it is possible to identify people where silicosis was an associated cause of death but the main reason could have been another (respiratory or other) disease.

This approach allows a much more comprehensive estimate of the silicosis burden in the community. We will then sort and analyse these data by age group (A), the period when the silicosis was treated or diagnosed (P), and the cohort in which someone with silicosis was born in (C). This age-period-cohort (APC) approach will allow researchers and policy makers to understand the risk of silicosis by these three different factors.