Stone quarry workers, India 1993
In many quarries the stones are broken by hand. Because of the large amounts of dust, the work is quite dangerous. Workers are at extreme risk of developing silicosis (scarring of the lungs) and a related disease, silico-tuberculosis. According to some medical studies, over 70 percent of workers who develop silicosis will also develop tuberculosis. This is a serious problem in regions of the world where tuberculosis is endemic.
Copyright, 2001, President and Fellows of Harvard College