Danger Dust

Inhaling the silica causes pulmonary fibrosis — tissue swelling in the lungs.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a constant inflammatory process that can lead to the development of silicosis.

While silicosis does not immediately cause TB, it makes people three times more susceptible to it.

Silicosis is a latent disease, meaning it can take time to manifest. As a result, many people find themselves contracting TB up to 30 years after leaving the mining industry.

Therefore, ex-miners are surveilled to ensure they haven’t contracted silicosis.

Much of the problem comes down to detection, as many doctors misdiagnose silicosis as TB.

In this case, the government hopes to screen potential silicosis patients using computer-aided detection (CAD) that employs AI.

This helps to implement measures to prevent the contraction of TB once diagnosed with silicosis.