Danger Dust

Crystalline silica is piezoelectric, that is, it produces opposite electric charges on opposite sides of the physical structure when force is applied. This piezoelectricity contributes to the formation of oxygen‐free radicals produced on the cleaved surfaces of silica molecules.

Freshly fractured silica, such as that generated in abrasive blasting, has an increased redox potential on the fresh surface, which is highly reactive with hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitric oxide, and is more likely to produce ongoing free radicals.

Silica‐induced oxidative stress stimulates specific transcription factors through interaction with toll‐like receptors on alveolar macrophages, mediated through nuclear factor kappa‐B (NF‐κB) and activator protein (AP)‐1, which further increases cytokine expression, perpetuating inflammation and fibrosis