If you don’t think construction dust is a silent killer, think again. Here’s what you should know.

Each Day, There Are a Staggering Amount of Cases of New Work-Related Respiratory Disease. – Industrial dust fibers enter through the nose and the mouth, either by breathing or drinking. Once there, they can cause some serious respiratory disease. Every year, there 8,500 new cases of work-related respiratory disease. That’s a shocking 23 new cases each and every day.

Occupational Exposure Leads to One in 20 Cancer Deaths. – Believe it or not, past occupational exposure to carcinogens currently account for one in 20 cancer deaths in the United Kingdom. These cancers can develop in the esophagus as a result of swallowing or breathing in the dust. Scar tissue can also form in the lungs, which can prevent the lungs being able to properly expand and contract. One study found that 35,000 workers have reported breathing and lung problems which were made worse by their work.

Construction Dust Can Hurt Other Parts of the Body, Too. – Believe it or not, construction dust doesn’t just hurt the esophagus, and lungs exclusively. It can also affect the heart, and the stomach, too. Since blood flow from the lungs can be impaired, it can cause the heart to enlarge, or even fail. In the stomach, dust fibers can build up and wind up causing cancer. In fact, the construction industry leads to 5,500 new cancer registrations each and every year, and about 3,500 new cancer deaths on top of that, too.

Industrial dust collection systems are far more important than you might think. If downdraft tables aren’t present on a site’s premises, the crew is in danger. It’s as simple as that. If you’d like to know more about how dust collection systems can reduce risks around a site, feel free to share in the comments. Read more articles like this.