Dying from silicosis: Concrete worker demands mandatory lung testing for all industries exposed to silica dust

A Melbourne man with silicosis who has been given just three years to live after being exposed to dust and silica while transporting and mixing concrete, is calling on the Federal Government to work with State and Territory Governments to provide mandatory nation-wide lung testing for all workers exposed to silica dust.

In 2020 Ivan De Cleene was diagnosed with the fatal lung disease from breathing in unsafe levels of silica and dust at work, and given just two to six years to live. Mr De Cleene had suffered from asthma in previous years but knew something was seriously wrong after struggling to breathe while walking just 100m down the road.

“I would just have to sit down. You go into panic mode because you can’t understand what’s going on. Our neighbour asked us over for a coffee and I couldn’t walk the distance without stopping. My partner said that’s enough, you have to go to a lung specialist,” he said.

“I was gasping for breath. It was unusual for me because I had been quite healthy all of my life and I’m not an anxious person. My nights were getting worse. I was waking up gasping for air and struggling to get oxygen in. We are halfway through the six-year sentence. I have a 75 per cent chance of surviving the next three years. It’s pretty depressing, you look at people’s faces when you tell them. They’re gob smacked and can’t believe it.”

Cyrstalline Silica is found in sand, stone, concrete and mortar and is used to make products like engineered stone found within kitchen and bathroom benchtops. In Mr De Cleen’s case, the silica he was exposed to was added to the wet cement mix he worked with for seven or eight years at three different cement companies that supplied sprayed concrete to swimming pool builders.

“We’d back our truck in and add the colour, silica mix and more water to mix the wet concrete. We were using the shotcrete mix for swimming pools. It was sprayed onto the pool walls as we unloaded it. We did maybe two or three per day,” he said.

“Management at work didn’t give us protective masks. The bags of dry cement mix and silica were taken off the trucks and loaded into the storage area. It was very dusty work. In those days you just did what you were told. It was a job. They never said be careful you might get sick from handling this product.”

Mr De Cleene is focusing on spending as much time with family in New Zealand and Australia as possible but wants to prevent the same illness from occurring in other construction workers handling dust and silica products. The 65-year-old said anyone handling silica who hasn’t been given a mask by their employer should refuse to do the work.

“You shouldn’t have to go out and buy your own protective wear, the business and workplace should be providing workers with face masks and protective equipment. All workers exposed to silica should be provided with lung tests, the same way that stonemasons are provided with free testing,” Mr De Cleene said.

Slater and Gordon Workers’ Compensation Senior Associate Barakat Rezaie, who is bringing a negligence claim against three of Ivan’s workplaces, said there would likely be a large number of demolition and construction workers suffering in silence with breathing problems and lung conditions as a result of dust and silica exposure.

“A lot of great work has been done to address the silica exposure levels for stonemasons cutting silica benchtops, in terms of banning dry cutting and limiting exposure to silica dust. However, there are other industries exposed to dust and silica where workers are not always being provided with fit-tested personal protective equipment that can minimise dust from entering their lungs,” Mr Rezaie said.

“These workers need to be given fit-tested personal protective equipment and measures need to be taken to minimise the exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust.

“All workers exposed to silica dust, including in construction, demolition and mining, should be tested regularly and this would go a long way in terms of preventing lung disease and getting proper treatment. Occupational lung diseases and conditions can be hard to diagnose and many don’t realise they’ve been exposed to dust, silica or chemicals at work until they are severely unwell.

“The sad part is that silicosis is a preventable disease and workers in the construction, demolition and mining industries need more to be done.”

Mr Rezaie said instances of lung disease in industries such as construction, demolition and mining were prevalent in Australia. Federal Government ministers have agreed on stronger regulations for all industries exposed to silica dust - which will include mines, quarries, tunnels, and construction sites. New laws are being developed and Safe Work Australia has been tasked to consider how laws will be adopted and taken on by state and territory governments.

“We are seeing claims like Ivan’s more regularly unfortunately where a person has been given an asthma diagnosis but years later they develop a more serious condition such as silicosis or lung cancer as a result of their work environment. If you are unwell and have worked for long periods with dust or silica, it’s wise to see a specialist and get your lungs tested,” Mr Rezaie said.