silicosis

American  

[sil-i-koh-sis] / ˌsɪl ɪˈkoʊ sɪs /

noun

Pathology.

1. a disease of the lungs caused by the inhaling of siliceous particles, as by stonecutters.

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silicosis British  

/ ˌsɪlɪˈkəʊsɪs /

noun

1. pathol a form of pneumoconiosis caused by breathing in tiny particles of silica, quartz, or slate, and characterized by shortness of breath and fibrotic changes in the tissues of the lungs

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Other Word Forms

• silicotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of silicosis

First recorded in 1890–95; silic(a) + -osis

Example Sentences

A further, lesser known risk is that of silicosis, a lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust, usually over many years.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2025

In Los Angeles County, they have become the face of an alarming outbreak of silicosis, a deadly lung disease caused by inhaling dust loaded with crystalline silica, among young workers who cut countertops.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2025

California regulators voted Thursday to impose a permanent set of workplace rules aimed at protecting countertop cutters from silicosis, an incurable disease that has been killing young workers.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2024

California has identified more than 200 silicosis cases among countertop cutters working with engineered stone, more than half of them among Los Angeles County workers.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

Paul Gray and Stuart Johnson, who worked for the same stone production companies in Bradford and Leeds, were diagnosed with silicosis caused by silica dust.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2024