For help measuring silica exposure or complying with  the Cal/OSHA silica standards:

• Contact your worker’s compensation insurance company.
• Call Cal/OSHA Consultation at (800) 963-9424 for a free, confidential visit | Find a local office.

• Find an industrial hygienist through a searchable list of consultants provided by the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
  

• Find a California health care provider who can perform required silica medical exams by using a datab​ase from the Western Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association​.​

Information for Providers 

Workers with silicosis often present with non-specific respiratory symptoms, such as cough and shortness of breath; they may also be asymptomatic in early stages of disease.

Providers should ask patients about their work and consider silicosis in both asymptomatic and symptomatic countertop fabrication workers. Silicosis can be diagnosed using imaging, such as chest x-ray and chest CT, and pulmonary function tests, such as spirometry and diffusing capacity. Pulmonary and occupational medicine providers should be included in diagnosis and care.​

Providers are asked to report any silicosis cases to CDPH via one of the following methods:​

• By filling out the Silicosis Reporting Form​
  
• By phone: 800-970-6680
• By fax: 916-636-6153
• By email: silicosis@cdph.ca.gov
• Please ensure that any emails containing protected health information are sent via a secure email system. If you do not have access to a secure email system, please contact us at the above email address and we will provide a secure method of transmission.

Additio​nal Resources for Providers​

NEW!​ Continuing Medical Education silicosis course – a free, one-hour course covering what healthcare providers need to know about silicosis in countertop fabrication workers.

Silicosis in Countertop Fabrication Workers: What Providers Need to Know (PDF)​​​ – one-page overview of silicosis in countertop fabrication workers, including information about diagnosis, medical surveillance, and treatment.​

Global Epidemic Comes to California: Silicosis in Countertop Workers – CDPH health advisory with information for California health care providers and local health departments​

Silicosis: An Update and Guide for Clinicians – clinical review, including occupational background and clinical guidance on managing silicosis (published in Clinics in Chest Medicine, 2020)

Silica Exposure, Silicosis, and the New Occupational Safety and Health Administration Silica Standard. What Pulmonologists Need to Know – summary of workers at risk of silicosis and occupational health considerations for clinicians (published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 2018)​

Adverse Effects of Crystalline Silica Ex​posure (PDF 3.5 MB)– American Thoracic Society position statement describing the health effects of respirable crystalline silica exposure

Silicosis and Crystalline Silica Exposure: What Physicians Need to Know – fact sheet about silicosis from the New York State Department of Health​

Professional publications

• ​NEW!​​​​​​ Silicosis among countertop workers in California - case investigation article, July 2023 Silicosis article summary (PDF)​​
  

• Self-reported silica exposures and workplace protections among engineered stone fabrication workers in California – letter to journal editor, October 2022

• Elevated exposures to respirable crystalline silica among engineered stone fabrication workers in California, January 2019–February 2020 – journal article abstract, July 2022

• Radiographic Screening Reveals High Burden of Silicosis among Workers at an Engineered Stone Countertop Fabrication Facility in California – journal article, March 2021
  

• Outbreak of Silicosis among Engineered Stone Countertop Workers in Four States – NIOSH Science blog “visual abstract” (poster format) – MMWR report, October 2019

• Severe Silicosis in Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers — California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington, 2017–2019 – MMWR report, September 2019

• Silica – Notes from the Field: Silicosis in a Countertop Fabricator – Texas, 2014 – MMWR, February 2015

General silica prevention resources, including Construction

• Silica safety website for controlling silica exposure in construction
• NIOSH silica topic page
  
• Toxic Dusts – Silica (PDF) | Spanish - BuildSafe tailgate training safety cards​