Table 1.
Main characteristics of the artificial stone associated silicosis cases and of the epidemiological studies that investigated this topic.
| Country | Study Period | Type of Study | Working Activities Investigated and Correlated Cases of Silicosis (n.) | Age of Workers (Years) | Exposure Time (Years) | Quality Rating by JBI | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2011–2016 | Epidemiological study investigating the prevalence of artificial stone associated silicosis | Dry cutting and polishing of artificial stone for fabrication of small kitchen and bathroom benchtop (7) | 44 (median) | 7.3 (median) | Fair | Hoy et al. [17] |
| Israel | 1997–2010 | Retrospective analysis of patients (with a diagnosis of silicosis) candidates to lung transplantation | Dry cutting of synthetic stone material (Caesar Stone containing ˃85% crystalline silica) for kitchens and other countertop applications (25) | 52 (median) | 17 ± 9–22 ± 7 (mean ± SD) | Good | Kramer et al. [7] |
| Israel | 1997–2012 | Retrospective analysis of patients (with a diagnosis of silicosis) candidates to lung transplantation | Dry cutting and polishing synthetic stone material (with high content of crystalline silica) for kitchens and other countertop applications (40 whom 9 with autoimmune disease) |
|
6–26 (9 with autoimmune disease) | Good | Shtraichman et al. [41] |
| Israel | 1997–2015 | Evaluation of patients with diagnosis of silicosis visited in a pulmonary outpatient clinic | Dry cutting and polishing artificial decorative stone products (˃93–94% crystalline silica) for kitchens and other countertop applications (82) | 47.26 (mean) | 19.8 ± 9.4 (mean ± SD) | Fair | Grubstein et al. [42] |
| Israel | 2006–2013 | Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent lung transplantation for silicosis | Occupations carrying out job tasks consistent with over-exposure to silica through handling artificial stone (17) | 50 (median) | Not reported | Good | Rosengarten et al. [16] |
| Spain | 2008–2011 | Prospective observational study investigating the prevalence of silicosis in subjects who worked quartz conglomerates | Cutting, polishing and assembling quartz conglomerates composed of at least 90% natural quartz (crystallized silicon dioxide [SiO2] and silica) (6) | 39.81 (mean) | 12.54 (mean) | Poor | Pascual et al. [44] |
| Spain | 2009–2012 | Epidemiological study investigating the prevalence of artificial stone associated silicosis and the correlated working conditions in workers exposed to quartz conglomerates | Working activities (cutting, shaping and finishing) in which agglomerated quartz was used in the manufacturing of countertops for kitchens (46) | 33 (median) | 12.8 (mean) | Good | Perez-Alonso et al. [43] |
| Spain | 2009–2016 | Descriptive epidemiological study assessing the prevalence of artificial stone associated silicosis among the silicosis cases reported to the Healthcare Information System for Occupational Epidemiological Surveillance of the Community of Valencia | Cutting, sanding and assembling artificial quartz aggregates (with a high content of crystalline silica: 70–90%) for kitchen and bath countertops (13) | 46.62 ± 13.33 (mean ± SD) | 11.00 ± 3.58 (mean ± SD) | Poor | Pascual et al. [45] |
JBI, Joanna Briggs Institute Systematic Reviews Checklist for Case Series. Quality rating: good (≥80% positive responses); fair (60–70% positive responses); poor (<60% positive responses); SD, standard deviation.