What is silicosis?

There are three types of silicosis:

1. Chronic silicosis, which usually occurs after 10 or more years of exposure to crystalline silica at relatively low concentrations;
2. Accelerated silicosis, which results from exposure to high concentrations of crystalline silica and develops 5 to 10 years after the initial exposure; and
3. Acute silicosis, which occurs where exposure concentrations are the highest and can cause symptoms to develop within a few weeks to 4 or 5 years after the initial exposure.