Is silicosis fatal?

Is silicosis fatal?

Roy Artal (Pulmonologist and Critical Care Physician) gives expert video advice on: Am I at risk for breathing silica dust?; What are the symptoms of silicosis?; If I work with silica dust, can I expose family or friends? and more...

Silicosis has the potential to be fatal, although most cases of silicosis are not fatal. The degree to which silicosis can impair one's lung function really depends on what extent their lungs have been impaired and to what extent their lungs have been scarred. All of us have quite a bit of lung capacity and quite a bit of reserve, so even if there is some scarring and some degree of silicosis, it doesn't necessarily imply a bad diagnosis or a bad outcome. But certainly in people with severe silicosis, that can be unfortunately a progressive and fatal condition.