School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021 Apr 1;21(2):114-120. doi: 10.1097/ACI.0000000000000715.
This review details recent findings related to the health effects of occupational exposure to artificial stone dust and the rapid increase in cases of artificial stone associated silicosis around the world.
High crystalline silica content artificial stone is now commonly used for the production of kitchen benchtops. Reports of artificial stone silicosis from many countries have noted that workers were typically employed at small workplaces and were often diagnosed in their 30s or 40s. Poor exposure control measures were common, including the practice of 'dry processing'. Dust generated from artificial stone has been noted to have properties that influence toxicity, including high silica content, generation of nanosized particles and presence of metals and resins. Artificial stone silicosis differs from silicosis associated with other occupational settings including shorter latency and rapid disease progression. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) chest imaging of artificial stone silicosis has often noted the presence of ground glass opacities, which may not be detected in chest x-ray screening. Increased prevalence of autoimmune disease, such as scleroderma, has also been reported in this industry.
Further evaluation of the safety of work with artificial stone is required, including the effectiveness of dust control measures. Current reports of artificial stone silicosis indicate the potential for widespread undiagnosed respiratory disease in this industry. Provision of more sensitive health screening methods for all at-risk workers and the development of new treatment options particularly for this form of silicosis is urgently required.
本文详细介绍了职业性接触人造石粉尘对健康影响的最新发现，以及人造石相关矽肺在全球范围内的病例迅速增加。
高晶态二氧化硅含量的人造石目前广泛用于厨房台面的制作。来自多个国家的人造石矽肺报告指出，工人通常在小型工作场所工作，且常在 30 多岁或 40 多岁被诊断出矽肺。常见的暴露控制措施较差，包括“干法加工”。人造石产生的粉尘具有影响毒性的特性，包括高硅含量、纳米颗粒的产生以及金属和树脂的存在。人造石矽肺与其他职业环境相关的矽肺不同，潜伏期较短，疾病进展迅速。人造石矽肺的高分辨率 CT 胸部成像常显示存在磨玻璃影，而胸部 X 射线筛查可能无法检测到这些磨玻璃影。该行业也报告了自身免疫性疾病（如硬皮病）的发病率增加。
需要进一步评估人造石作业的安全性，包括粉尘控制措施的有效性。目前关于人造石矽肺的报告表明，该行业可能存在广泛的未诊断的呼吸道疾病。迫切需要为所有高危工人提供更敏感的健康筛查方法，并开发新的治疗方法，特别是针对这种形式的矽肺。
