Airborne disease-causing dusts are found throughout the tunnel construction process, including in excavation, shotcreting and material loading and transporting. Not only does dust cause immediate jobsite challenges of reduced visibility, lost materials, lower productivity and additional wear and tear on equipment, respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure at hazardous levels can also lead to a myriad of health problems for tunnel workers including lung cancer, silicosis, pulmonary disease and kidney disease. Silicosis is the most common occupational lung disease worldwide and is often referred to as the “modern-day asbestos.”
