MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1998 May 1;47(16):331-5.
Silicosis is a potentially fatal and typically chronic fibrotic lung disease caused by occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust. In the United States, most silicosis-associated deaths occur among persons aged > or = 65 years, often following many years of silica dust exposure. However, the continuing occurrence of silicosis deaths in young adults reflects relatively recent overexposures, some of sufficient magnitude to cause severe disease and death after relatively short periods of exposure. This report describes deaths among two young adults with silicosis and underscores the risk for deaths from silicosis at relatively young ages.
矽肺是一种潜在致命的典型慢性纤维化肺病，由职业接触可吸入结晶二氧化硅粉尘引起。在美国，大多数与矽肺相关的死亡发生在65岁及以上人群中，往往是在接触二氧化硅粉尘多年之后。然而，年轻成年人中矽肺死亡病例的持续出现反映了相对近期的过度暴露，其中一些暴露程度足以在相对短的接触期后导致严重疾病和死亡。本报告描述了两名患有矽肺的年轻成年人的死亡情况，并强调了相对年轻时因矽肺死亡的风险。
