DECIPHERING TOXICITY OF DUSTS

These positions are easily understood. First, although it was known, in general, that some dusts could be extremely toxic and others apparently benign, reasons for such differences had not been worked out.

Knife grinders of Sheffield inhaled dust, as did bricklayers of Manchester and agricultural laborers of Wales, but their shorter span of life demonstrated that there was something special about the dust to which they were exposed.

Gradually, however, the special role of crystalline silica in the various dusts was deciphered, and was well established in 1916 by the brilliant Milroy Lecture of E.L. Collis (4-6). This impressive display of the power of occupational toxicology and clinical epidemiology served to focus attention on quartz: so much so that the potential toxicity of inorganic dust particles thereafter was generally gauged by their content of respirable quartz.

To review the references in Dr. Selikoff’s article see Pages 275-276 of his report.