Risk of Pneumoconiosis in Workers Exposed to Crystalline Silica from Lava Rock Dust from Mount Etna
Vella F. Filetti V. Matera S. Spinello S. Vinnikov D. Muscato G. Rapisarda V. Matera D. Rapisarda L. Vitale E.
June 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Journal of Clinical Medicine
2025#14Issue 11
Background: Pneumoconiosis is a group of lung diseases characterized by the deposition and accumulation of dust or mineral fibers in the lung interstitium, primarily caused by occupational exposure. Methods: The aim of this study was to identify cases of pneumoconiosis induced by occupational exposure in patients living on the island of Sicily (South Italy), through the retrospective analysis of pneumoconiosis cases registered by the Reference Center for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Interstitial Lung Diseases and Rare Lung Diseases (RCLD) of University of Catania, during the decade 2012–2022. Furthermore, the results of a screening conducted in the same 10-year period (2012–2022) on cohorts of workers potentially exposed to RCS generated by Etna’s volcanic dust are reported. Results: From the consultation of the RCLD database, there does not appear to be any correlation between pulmonary fibrosis and exposure to dust of basaltic origin. Conclusions: These data seem to be confirmed by the data of the health monitoring conducted over 10 years on 200 workers involved in different processes of working with lava stone.
dust , Etna , pneumoconiosis , silica
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Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, 95123, Italy
Federazione Italiana Medici di Medicina Generale-F.I.M.M.G. (Italian Federation of General Practitioners), Rome, 00153, Italy
Faculty of Medicine and Health Care, Environmental Health Science Lab, Al Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Occupational Health Risks Lab, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Regional Referral Center for Rare Lung Diseases, University Hospital Policlinico “G. Rodolico-San Marco”, University of Catania, Catania, 95123, Italy
Division of Orthopedics, Mediterranean Oncology Institute, Viagrande, 95029, Italy
Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna “Kore”, Enna, 94100, Italy
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
Federazione Italiana Medici di Medicina Generale-F.I.M.M.G. (Italian Federation of General Practitioners)
Faculty of Medicine and Health Care
Occupational Health Risks Lab
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
Division of Orthopedics
Department of Medicine and Surgery
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