Airborne dusts are well known aerosols that associate with classical widespread occupational lung diseases, such as occupational asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumoconiosis (such as silicosis, etc.), etc. There are several types of dust identified in the work environment, for examples : metallic dusts (lead, beryllium, nickel, cadmium dusts), mineral dusts (free crystalline silica, cement, and coal dusts), organic and vegetable dusts (cotton, wood, tea, pollen, and flour), biohazards (moulds and spores, and viable particles), and other chemical dusts (pesticides and several bulk chemicals). The commonest type of occupational dust particles includes silica, asbestos, and coal mine dusts. The main respiratory diseases associated with occupational dust particles include silicosis (caused by inhaling silica dust, usually associated with tuberculosis), asbestosis (caused by inhaling asbestos, usually associated with malignant pleural mesothelioma)), talc pneumoconiosis (caused by inhaling talc dust), berylliosis (caused by inhaling beryllium), siderosis (caused by inhaling iron oxide), metallic pneumoconiosis (caused by inhaling cobalt, barium, tungsten, tin dust), popcorn pneumoconiosis (caused by inhaling fumes produced when manufacturing microwave popcorn), kaolin pneumoconiosis (caused by inhaling China clay), and coal worker’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) (caused by inhaling coal dust).
Silica or silicon dioxide (SiO2) comprise around 25 % of known minerals, nearly 40 % of the common minerals, and more than 90 % of the earth’ s crust. Silica occurs in three forms : crystalline, microcrystalline (or cryptocrystalline) and amorphous (non-crystalline). Occupational exposure to crystalline silica can occur in any workplace, such as mining, mineral processing, slate working, quarrying, foundry work, stone crushing and dressing, brick and tile making, construction work, building restoration, tunneling, pottery and ceramic industries, and work with brick, concrete, stone, and some insulation boards. Silica-associated diseases remain an important public health problems among the low- and middle-income countries in the twenty-first century due to crystalline silica being one of a handful of toxins that causes several deadly diseases, such as pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer, silicosis, COPD, pulmonary fibronodular disease, renal diseases, and autoimmune diseases.
Exposure to silica for a long time, without silicosis may predispose persons to tuberculosis. The tuberculosis risk increases with the severity of silicosis that is considerably higher in patients with acute and accelerated silicosis. Cigarette smoking cessation program is important due to the interaction between silica exposure and cigarette smoking in the development of tuberculosis.
Occupational exposure to dust particles can occur anywhere, but it is particularly prevalent in the low- and middle-income countries. The aims and scope of this special issue are to share the knowledge and experiences in preventing, controlling including possible treating these deadly diseases among the workers around the world.
Import Dates & Submit
Important dates
Submission Deadline: April 30, 2018
Notification of Acceptance: June 01, 2018
Final Version Due: July 01, 2018
Special Issue Publishing Date: September 01, 2018
Submit your article now
Manuscripts should be submitted as an attached file to an e-mail directed to the Chief Guest Editor, Dr. Attapon Cheepsattayakorn at the address: <Attapon1958@gmail.com>