Silicosis. Fibrosis of the lungs caused by long term inhalation of silica dust and resulting in a chronic shortness of breath.
Now all of the rest of this information is just what I have understood from others and my own experience.
Have you ever snapped a rod or cut cold/warm glass in the sunlight? You know, the kind of sunlight that you can see every dust particle in the air. Try it sometime if you haven't. It's pretty scary. These glass particles (silica dust) enter your lungs during a breath and CUT the tissue that is inside of your lungs. These cuts scab up and apparently never heal completely, thus cutting off air supply to vital respiratory capillaries.
How do you prevent this?
Obvious answer: GOOD VENTILATION.
Not so obvious: Some of this dust hangs around on your table and your floor and doesn't get sucked in by the fan that you have placed in front of you.
-One method I use is an extra ventilation tube mounted over my trash can.
-Be clean about your shop and surrounding areas.
-VISUALIZE SILICA. Snap that rod in the sunlight sometime. Look at the density of it. See how it moves in the air. Now every time you preform an act that creates dust, Visualize the dust and make the invisible visible through imagination. Know where it is going and prevent inhalation.
-Drop a smoke bomb in your shop with all fans running. Watch where the smoke goes and how you are moving air.
Take care of yourselves and be aware. We'll all meet up at the end and be happy, healthy, and damn good glassblowers.
