a. Silicosis: Respirable crystalline silica (quartz) can cause chronic silicosis, a fibrosis
(scarring) of the lungs.
Silicosis may be progressive; it may lead to disability and death. Acute Silicosis can occur with
exposures to very high concentrations of respirable crystalline silica over a very short time
period, sometimes as short as a few months. The symptoms of acute silicosis include
progressive shortness of breath, fever, cough and weight loss. Acute silicosis is fatal.
b. Cancer: Crystalline silica (quartz) inhaled from occupational sources in sufficient
concentrations is classified as carcinogenic to humans. In its Ninth Annual Report on
Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) listed crystalline silica as a known human
carcinogen, based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in humans indicating
a causal relationship between exposure to respirable crystalline silica and increased lung
cancer rates in workers exposed to crystalline silica dust. The International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC) has evaluated crystalline silica and determined that “crystalline
silica inhaled in the form of quartz or cristobalite from occupational sources is carcinogenic to
humans (Group 1).”
c. Autoimmune Diseases: There is evidence that exposure to respirable crystalline silica
(without silicosis) or that the disease silicosis is associated with the increased incidence of
several autoimmune disorders, -- scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid
arthritis and diseases affecting the kidneys.
d. Tuberculosis: Silicosis increases the risk of tuberculosis.
e. Nephrotoxicity: There is evidence that exposure to respirable crystalline silica (without
silicosis) or that the disease silicosis is associated with the increased incidence of kidney
diseases, including end stage renal disease.
Eye Contact: Crystalline silica (quartz) may cause abrasion of the cornea.
