Brick and concrete driller's silicosis
Hodel, T.; Schlegel, H.; Rüttner, J.R.
Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift 107(50): 1896-1899
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-7672 PMID: 594732 Document Number: 116091
Two unusual observations on silicosis in workers specialized in brick and concrete drilling prompted the authors to draw attention to this hitherto little recognized silicogenic hazard. Drilling specialists are employed in new construction and reconstruction firms for the purpose of drilling apertures in completed walls. During the processes of drilling, chiselling and milling in concrete and in brick walls, silicogenic dust is produced, often in concentrations clearly exceeding the maximal concentration values (MAC). In the interests of disease prevention this economy-motivated but health-threatening technique of drilling apertures in walls after they have been completed should be abandoned.