Research Watch, COLUMNS-Silica, November 2004

photo-1Respiratory Disease in Aggregate Quarry Workers: The Role of Silica and Smoking

Researchers at the National Institute of Silicosis have released a study that appears to indicate that odds ratios for rounded opacities among aggregate quarry workers are significantly related to smoking.

In a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the researchers reported that while the interaction between exposure to silica dust and tobacco altered pulmonary function among the workers, radiologic alterations are found mostly in relation to tobacco exposure.

The study evaluated a total of 378 quarry workers from 24 …