Just a note to the list.
siliconosis
I am a mining engineer, and so work in the mining idustry here in Oz. I
have met people with Silicosis, this is one seriously bad disease!. Image
the worst case of Emphasema you have ever seen or heard of and it can be
worse than that.
You are at danger through both exposure time (hours days or years), dosage
(small dose each day for whole life could be equal to a couple of massive
doses), and particle size (basically the smaller the worse they are, and SB
will smash up the grains very well). So if you don't use any breathing
protection whilst enclosed in a thick cload of silica only dust, YOU ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING YOUR CHANCES OF TURNING YOUR LUNGS INTO ROCK.
Yes that is what happens. The silica dust is very resistant to being
expelled from you lungs and so causes solidification and scaring of the
lung lining, it can also do this to your limph system. Both effects can
lead to cancer, if the lack of oxygen transfer doesnot kill you first!
So. Buy and use a good quality respirator with an element for "respirable
dust".
Preparing for the flames of a doctor who will say that the exact risk
levels are unclear (which seems to me to be a good reason to take extra
care).
Yours in safe and productive Triumphing.
Bill and Sal Birney
'70 GT6+ (RHD)
'67 Spitfire MkII (Sal's)
'69 Spitfire MkIII (monster racer?)
birneybs@onaustralia.com.au
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