This article is an earnest attempt to describe various occupations in Gujarat where the silicosis disease has been found to be prevalent. In most other states, silicosis cases are confined to mining, stone carving, glass manufacturing, the ramming mass industry, or slate pencil units but the crisis is multifold in Gujarat.
In Gujarat, silicosis is reported from a wide range of occupations: the agate stone industry (Khambhat and Jambusar), quartz crushing units (located in Godhra and Balasinor, with victims from Dahod and Chhota Udepur districts as well as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh), glass manufacturing (Vadodara and Anand), glass etching (Rajkot), thermal power plants (Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Sikka), imitation jewellery (Rajkot), flour mills (Rajkot), foundries (Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Junagadh, Panchmahal), stone carving (Dhrangadhra), stone mining (Surendranagar), cement production (Gir Somnath), ceramics (Surendranagar and Morbi), refractory brick manufacturing (Wankaner), and construction (Morbi). It has also been reported among non-workers.
It is said that workers in over 90 different occupations can be exposed to silica, indicating that a vast number of individuals are at risk from this toxic dust.
Inhaling silica dust, especially respirable crystalline silica, poses serious health risks. It can lead to silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), kidney disease, autoimmune disorders, and cardiovascular impairment. Those suffering from silicosis are at heightened risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) as a co-morbidity.
During the 1961 Census, special reports were prepared on selected crafts in Gujarat. Agate was among them.
The report noted, “... it releases tiny particles of dust which are detrimental to the health of the workers. It is believed that while breathing, the stone powder enters the lungs and causes TB.”
In 1980, the Industrial Toxicological Institute in Lucknow conducted a study that reported a 38.4 per cent prevalence of pneumoconiosis among agate workers, including one case involving an 11-year-old boy.
In 1987, the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), acting as a High Court Commission, conducted an epidemiological study involving 470 agate workers.
The overall prevalence of silicosis was 29.1 per cent and was even higher — 38.2 per cent — among grinders. Progressive massive fibrosis was observed in 8.1 per cent of subjects. Another study by NIOH (1999–2002) found a silicosis prevalence of 28.9-36.1 per cent, silico-tuberculosis at 14.6-26 per cent, and TB at 27-49.5 per cent. Even among non-occupational groups (neighbours, household members, and non-workers), silicosis prevalence was 5.8-13.3 per cent, silico-tuberculosis 2.4-7.7 per cent, and TB 19.9-22.6 per cent.
Children and women working near agate units were also affected. Of 397 grinders currently working, 11.6 per cent were below 20 years of age. The study established a clear correlation between grinding duration and silicosis prevalence.
People’s Training And Research Center, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working on the issue for a long time, in collaboration with P.S. Medical College, Karamsad, set up a clinic in June 2007 to screen agate workers. Over a 10-year period, 1,200 workers were X-rayed; 450 were diagnosed with silicosis.
There are over 3,000 foundries in Gujarat.
A 1984 NIOH study of 112 workers at Alembic Glass Works in Vadodara (then Baroda) found all exposed workers to be suffering from silicosis to varying degrees. During that period, silicosis was also reported in workers from two other glass factories, largely due to efforts by victims from Alembic Glass.
Gujarat now has 195 glass manufacturing units, and a few glass-lined vessel manufacturing units for the chemical industry.
One worker at Jyoti Foundry in Halol (now closed) was diagnosed with silicosis. In the same year, five workers at a Junagadh foundry received compensation from the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). These units practised sandblasting — a process banned under Gujarat Factory Rules since 1974, yet still common across engineering units statewide.
There are over 3,000 foundries in Gujarat, particularly in Rajkot and Ahmedabad. Sand is used to prepare cores, and despite prohibition, sandblasting is often used to clean product surfaces. Many of these units may not be registered under the Factories Act, which may explain why so few silicosis cases have been officially reported.
A Supreme Court-appointed committee identified 25 cases of silicosis in various foundries in 2016.
In response to a public interest litigation (PIL 110/2006), the Supreme Court appointed a committee that visited 164 high-risk units in 2016. The committee found silica present in both fly ash and cement dust and confirmed two silicosis cases from two cement factories.
Cases have been reported from ceramic units in Surendranagar, Wadhwan, Himmatnagar, and Ahmedabad. Gujarat’s ceramic industry is concentrated in Kadi, Himmatnagar, Morbi, Than and Vadodara districts. PTRC has been active in Morbi and Surendranagar since 2018 and identified 182 cases, including 80 deaths.
Gujarat supplies about 70 per cent of the country’s ceramic needs, employing around 500,000 workers across more than 1,300 units. SMEs in the state produce approximately 100 million square metres of ceramic tiles— about 37 per cent of India’s total production.
In Dhrangadhra, Surendranagar district, sandstone is locally available and extensively carved using hammers, chisels, and electric cutters, typically without dust extraction systems. We have documented 45 workers suffering from silicosis; 30 have died over the past five years.
Flour mills use emery wheels, and workers are exposed to silica dust while dressing the stones. A study by KEM Hospital, Mumbai found a 30 per cent incidence of silicosis among these workers. We have recorded two cases from Rajkot — both workers have since died.
Glass etching is commonly done in small, poorly ventilated back rooms using sandblasting. We encountered several workers covered in dust and suffering from silicosis. Of five such workers identified, three have died.
Rajkot is a hub for imitation jewellery production using lead, zinc, and other metals. Sandblasting is part of the process, and we found four silicosis cases in this industry — three have died.
One patient worked in a godown, manually dividing 50 kg bags of powder into two 25 kg bags. The process exposed him to silica dust.
Another case involved a housewife suffering from silicosis. Her husband worked in a ceramic factory, and the couple lived in a room on the premises. Dust from unloading trucks filled their living space day and night.
In Morbi, a plumber who used to carve slits for concealed piping was also diagnosed with silicosis. Additionally, two workers from stone mines in Surendranagar have been affected.
There are no reliable estimates of silicosis-related morbidity and mortality. The absence of credible data highlights serious gaps in official reporting.
Currently, no government department or ministry is responsible for monitoring the health of workers in the unorganised sector. Until such a body is created, this responsibility should fall under the health department. At the very least, each state should have a public hospital with an outpatient department (OPD) for occupational diseases.
Only silicosis and silico-tuberculosis are currently diagnosed and certified by medical professionals. Other silica-related diseases must also be diagnosed, certified and compensated.
It is essential to assess the true burden of this disease so that targeted incentives can be introduced to reduce silica dust in workplaces.
Jagdish Patel is the Director of People’s Training And Research Centre
Views expressed are author's own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth