The association between lung cancer and silicosis: from theory to practice in occupational medicine

Unbound (free) crystalline-silica dust is recognized since 2012 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a class I carcinogen. Exposure to this professional hazard was massive at the end of the last century, and it continues to exist today, albeit at lower levels. The number of cases of occupational cancer attributed to this exposure is minimal in Romania due to the absence of adequate post-exposure monitoring and the reporting of cases that encounters multiple obstacles, such as the absence of exposure data or the disappearance of the industrial sites in which the exposure took place. Occupational exposure to free crystalline silica dust can cause silicosis, and the presence of this disease certifies the existence of significant exposure. That is why the declaration of occupational cancer in a patient previously diagnosed with silicosis should be straightforward because the proof of exposure already exists.

This article presents the cancer-silicosis relationship from the perspective of current scientific data and aims to substantiate the decision of the doctors from the public health departments who investigate and declare the reported cases.