The Illinois Silicosis Project:
A Look at Incidence of Silica-Related Disease over a Ten-Year Period in the Land of Lincoln

photo-14In the latter part of the 1990s, certain industries in Illinois may have had a difficult time ignoring the fact that workers were being exposed to silica dust in excess of levels permitted by federal regulators.

That's because in 1992, the state's Department of Health started the Silicosis in Illinois Project, designed to track all cases of silicosis diagnosed throughout the state in the previous ten years. Funding for the project was provided by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, which has since ceased underwriting the program, according to sources at the state health department.

As a …