Abstract
Damage to the human lung from breathing a dusty atmosphere is not new. Scientists who have studied Egyptian mummies have found cases of silicosis, a disease caused by damage to the lung from inhaling very fine particles of silica. These Egyptian incidents of silicosis probably were caused by the fact that it was common practice to create vases and hollow vessels by grinding sandstone with a harder stone by rotating the material under the drill of hard material. This work was often carried out in poorly ventilated buildings. For a discussion of silicosis among early miners in the 1600s in the silver mines of South America see Ref. 1. In a seminal book published in 1955 Donald Hunter reviewed the history of lung diseases created by dust from industrial activity. In the book he describes the often shocking conditions in which people were expected to work.2 In particular he quotes from a book written in 1843 about the conditions among workers in the Sheffield, England cutlery trade.
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References
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Kaye, B.H. (1997). Respirable Dust Hazards. In: Fayed, M.E., Otten, L. (eds) Handbook of Powder Science & Technology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-6373-0_21
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