Sandblasting Can Causes Silicosis
Sandblasting is bad for your lungs and can cause lung disease known as Silicosis. It is developed by inhaling silica dust and will damage your respiratory system. Without the proper safety attire, as a result, you will have a higher chance of developing Silicosis. This lung disease generally occurs in people who are occasionally exposed to dust. The sandblasting process requires the user to wear a mask, to protect them from inhaling the dust. With the help of a mask, the wearer inhales less of the dust.
Silica is found in many workforces such as;
sandblasting
constructions
stone cutting
stone quarry
metal ore mining
glass manufacturing
abrasive manufacturing
Types of Silicosis
The first type is called Chronic Silicosis. It comes from more than twenty years worth of low silica dust exposure. Over time this exposure will damage your upper lungs and will cause lymph nodes in your chest to swell making it hard to breathe. This also may cause some scarring in your lungs. In addition, Chronic Silicosis is the most common diagnosis form of lung disease today.
The second type is called Accelerated Silicosis. This comes from an individual having more exposure to silica dust within a five to ten year period. Hence, the word accelerates means being diagnosed sooner than in Chronic form. This form will also cause more scarring in your lungs.
The final type is called Acute Silicosis. This is the result of extreme exposure to silica dust being inhaled in a short amount of time. Whether it may be a few weeks to five years, this stage becomes dangerous whether it is couching, weight loss, fatigue, or difficulty breathing it becomes a problem. As a result, this final form will cause severe damage to your lungs and will destroy the normal structure of the lungs.
Note, this is one reason why sandblasting is banned in Europe.
The sandblasting process has come a long way and to better our health and our environment, we use the wet sandblasting process. It is very similar to sandblasting, but with the aid of water to keep the abrasive contain. Meaning there will be no more dust being emitted into the air. No more wearing an irritating protective mask and you can vapor blast freely and not worry about emitting dust.
