{"id":661900,"date":"2025-04-10T14:26:48","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T11:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T14:26:48","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T11:26:48","slug":"1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"1 in 10 tunnel workers could develop silicosis, our new research shows"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40b44cc8eb8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a40b44cc8eb8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows\/#How_does_silicosis_affect_tunnel_workers\" >How does silicosis affect tunnel workers?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows\/#Our_Queensland_study\" >Our Queensland study<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows\/#We_need_to_do_more_to_protect_tunnel_workers\" >We need to do more to protect tunnel workers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2019\/dust.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2019\/dust.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2019\/dust.jpg\" alt=\"dust\" title=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Around 10% of underground tunnel workers in Queensland could develop silicosis, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/annweh\/wxaf013\" target=\"_blank\">our new study<\/a> has found.<\/p>\n<p>Silicosis is a serious, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling small particles of silica dust. You might have heard about it in people who work with engineered stone. But silica is more widespread.<\/p>\n<p>Silica is found in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au\/safety-topic\/hazards\/crystalline-silica-and-silicosis\" target=\"_blank\">rocks and concrete<\/a>, so workers in industries such as construction, mining and tunneling are at high risk if proper safety measures aren&#8217;t in place.<\/p>\n<p>When silica dust is breathed in, it gets tr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed in the lungs, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/silicosis.org.au\/about-silicosis\/silicosis-disease\/\" target=\"_blank\">causing inflammation and scarring<\/a>. Over time, this scarring makes it harder to breathe and can be fatal.<\/p>\n<p>As symptoms of silicosis can take <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0011502907001101\" target=\"_blank\">decades to appear<\/a>, workers may not realize they&#8217;re sick until long after they&#8217;ve started working, or even after they stop.<\/p>\n<p>But silicosis is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthdirect.gov.au\/silicosis#prevented\" target=\"_blank\">preventable<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_silicosis_affect_tunnel_workers\"><\/span>How does silicosis affect tunnel workers?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Thousands of people <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nswliberal.org.au\/dominic-perrottet\/news\/final-connection-made-between-sydney-metro-lines\" target=\"_blank\">are involved in tunneling projects<\/a> in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Tunneling involves breaking up large amounts of silica-containing rock with heavy machinery.<\/p>\n<p>Tunnel workers rely on advanced ventilation systems to provide fresh air underground, water systems to keep the rocks wet and suppress dust, and they wear respirators on their face to keep the air they breathe clean. But some people have <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.parliament.nsw.gov.au\/committees\/inquiries\/Pages\/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=3068\" target=\"_blank\">raised concerns<\/a> these measures do not always work properly.<\/p>\n<p>There are also national legal limits in place for silica dust exposure, currently <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au\/safety-topic\/hazards\/crystalline-silica-and-silicosis\/workplace-exposure-standard-respirable-crystalline-silica#:~:text=The%20eight-hour%20time%20weighted,a%20five%20day%20working%20week.\" target=\"_blank\">0.05 milligrams per cubic meter<\/a> over an eight-hour work day.<\/p>\n<p>However, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/nsw\/revealed-the-sydney-tunnel-projects-where-deadly-dust-levels-hit-208-times-legal-limit-20241114-p5kqit.html\" target=\"_blank\">a media investigation<\/a> last November revealed one-third of air monitoring tests from a Sydney tunnel project were above legal limits.<\/p>\n<p>While air monitoring tests are required by law, the results of routine air monitoring tests are often <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/nsw\/revealed-the-sydney-tunnel-projects-where-deadly-dust-levels-hit-208-times-legal-limit-20241114-p5kqit.html\" target=\"_blank\">not made public<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>An expert taskforce has recently been set up in New South Wales to address the silica-related health risks for tunnel workers, promising to make high silica results above legal limits <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nsw.gov.au\/ministerial-releases\/new-expert-taskforce-to-help-address-silica-related-health-risks-for-workers-tunnelling-projects\" target=\"_blank\">publicly available<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But while attention has been <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/nsw\/a-32-year-old-has-a-deadly-disease-so-do-a-dozen-of-his-colleagues-20250224-p5lerj.html\" target=\"_blank\">focused on tunnel workers in Sydney<\/a>, the problem of lung disease in underground workers is more widespread.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_Queensland_study\"><\/span>Our Queensland study<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The results of air monitoring tests are important because they show whether legal silica dust limits are being adhered to.<\/p>\n<p>Another valuable use of this data is it can help us predict future disease risk. Instead of waiting to see how many workers develop silica-related diseases such as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au\/duties-tool\/construction\/hazards-information\/dusts\/silica\" target=\"_blank\">silicosis and lung cancer<\/a>, this data can be used to estimate cases in advance.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, a Queensland parliamentary inquiry raised <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2017-05-29\/black-lung-report-catastrophic-failure-qld-public-administration\/8568000\" target=\"_blank\">concerns about the health of Brisbane&#8217;s tunnel workers<\/a>, particularly regarding the harmful effects of exposure to silica dust.<\/p>\n<p>We worked through the parliamentary inquiry documents to uncover the results of hundreds of individual air monitoring tests conducted on three major Queensland tunnel projects between 2007 and 2013.<\/p>\n<p>We analyzed this data to estimate how many workers were exposed to silica dust and at what levels. We then <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12889-016-3066-1\" target=\"_blank\">modeled how many cases<\/a> of silicosis and lung cancer would occur over the workers&#8217; lifetimes.<\/p>\n<p>We estimated that in a group of around 2,000 workers involved in these Queensland tunnel projects, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/annweh\/wxaf013\" target=\"_blank\">200 to 300<\/a> would develop silicosis over their lifetime as a result of silica dust exposure (roughly one in every ten workers).<\/p>\n<p>We also estimated between 20 to 30 workers would develop lung cancer due to their exposure.<\/p>\n<p>We had limited information on workplace conditions in the specific projects, so we made a number of assumptions based on publicly available information and our own experience. These included assumptions around the use and protective nature of masks. The fact we had to make some assumptions could be a limitation of our study. Due to the lack of data transparency we don&#8217;t know if these figures apply more broadly to tunnel workers throughout Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Our projected rate of silicosis, 10%, is the same as the rate of silicosis recorded by a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nla.gov.au\/nla.obj-52813343\/view?partId=nla.obj-98387623\" target=\"_blank\">government inquiry in 1924<\/a> which investigated silicosis among workers who built Sydney&#8217;s sewers.<\/p>\n<p>So it doesn&#8217;t seem things are any better in terms of silicosis risk in underground work than a century ago.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"We_need_to_do_more_to_protect_tunnel_workers\"><\/span>We need to do more to protect tunnel workers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Continued <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oic.qld.gov.au\/decisions\/cole-and-department-of-state-development,-infrastructure-and-planning-office-of-industrial-relations-and-ors-2024-qicmr-67-26-november-2024\" target=\"_blank\">secrecy around silica dust data<\/a> reduces our ability to understand the scale of the problem and respond effectively. Nonetheless, the small amount of data that has been made available supports the need for urgent action.<\/p>\n<p>With Australia&#8217;s ongoing infrastructure expansion, policymakers must act now. This should include enforcing stricter legal limits for silica dust exposure. There is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7682183\/\" target=\"_blank\">concern among health experts<\/a> that current limits don&#8217;t sufficiently protect workers&#8217; health.<\/p>\n<p>Policymakers should also ensure protective measures such as advanced ventilation and dust suppression systems are in place for all tunnel projects, set up national tunnel worker health surveillance, and make exposure data available to workers and the public.<\/p>\n<p>There are several examples where things are done better. Internationally, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.churchilltrust.com.au\/project\/to-investigate-best-practice-to-prevent-illness-and-disease-in-tunnel-construction-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\">Norway and Switzerland<\/a> have strong systems to protect tunnel workers&#8217; health such as air and health monitoring being conducted by an independent government agency. In Switzerland, this agency also insures the project. Noncompliance results in higher insurance premiums or, in some cases, the withdrawal of insurance, effectively stopping the project.<\/p>\n<p>Nationally, Australia&#8217;s mining industry is more heavily regulated than tunneling, with stricter enforcement of compliance.<\/p>\n<p>Without im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>te intervention, thousands of tunnel workers will continue to face serious health risks and Australia will face a growing wave of preventable occupational diseases.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Conversation<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/1-in-10-tunnel-workers-could-develop-silicosis-our-new-research-shows-252186\" target=\"_blank\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/252186\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 1 in 10 tunnel workers could develop silicosis, our new research shows (2025, April 10)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 10 April 2025<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-04-tunnel-workers-silicosis.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2025-04-tunnel-workers-silicosis.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: CC0 Public Domain Around 10% of underground tunnel workers in Queensland could develop silicosis, our new study has found. Silicosis is a serious, incurable lung disease caused by inhaling small particles of silica dust. You might have heard about it in people who work with engineered stone. But silica is more widespread. Silica is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":661901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2019\/dust.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-661900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661900"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661900\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}