Screening shows ‘dramatic rise’ in silicosis cases

Levels of silicosis detected among workers in the artificial stone industry are now more than 10 times higher than seen over the past decade, a screening program shows.
The first results from the Victorian Stonemason Health Assessment and Research Program (V-SHARP) show scores of workers have the disease.
Under the scheme, all current and former workers in the artificial stone industry in the state are eligible for a free comprehensive assessment for silicosis.
Of the estimated 1400 stonemasons involved in the industry, 826 had registered with the scheme and 587 had completed the primary evaluation — a questionnaire, physical examination, chest X-ray and spirometry — during the scheme’s first year of operation.