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Silicosis for Health Care Providers

occupational health branch

Silicosis for Health Care Providers

Diagnosing Silicosis

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.

Reporting Silicosis

Case Reporting

Providers who diagnose or treat patients with silicosis are asked to report cases to CDPH via one of the following methods:

Through the Provider Portal in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE)
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.

Reports should include at a minimum:

Patient name
Date of birth
Name and location of the facility where they were seen
Date of the relevant encounter

Silicosis Medical Examination Reporting

Under the Cal/OSHA silica standard, employers are required to offer silica medical examinations to many silica-exposed workers. Providers who conduct these exams are required to report the results of all examinations to CDPH, whether or not the worker has silicosis. Reports should include:

Patient name
Date of birth
Name and location of the facility where they were seen
Date of the relevant encounter
A copy of the exam report provided to the worker

Exam results can be reported via one of the following methods:

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.

Continuing Medical Education on Silicosis

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

Additional Resources for Providers

Silicosis in Countertop Fabrication Workers: What Providers Need to Know (PDF)
CDPH 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 healthcare 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 Exposure (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

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