More than two million workers in the construction industry have been exposed to silica in the workplace. Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS), when inhaled, is the leading cause of silicosis, a deadly disease that can lie dormant in your body for 10-30 years before you exhibit symptoms.
Short of a complete double lung transplant, silicosis is both a chronic and incurable condition. Which means there is an epidemic of silicosis on the horizon for more than two million U.S. construction workers, if they have been exposed to RSC without proper PPE (personal protective equipment).