Silica Awareness Quiz

Silica is commonly found in materials such as:

• Water and air

• Sand and rock

• Metal and plastic

• Glass and ceramics

What happens when a worker cuts, grinds, or drills materials containing silica?

• Harmful gases are released into the air

• The materials become harder to work with

• Dangerous crystalline silica dust is released into the air

• The worker's tools get damaged

Where do silica crystals travel when a worker breathes them in?

• Eyes and ears

• Throat and stomach

• Mouth and nose, then deep into the lungs

• Skin and bloodstream

What role do immune system cells called macrophages play with silica crystals?

• They engulf and digest silica crystals.

• They ignore silica crystals.

• They multiply in the presence of silica crystals.

• They become inactive when exposed to silica crystals.

Over time, what happens as more silica crystals build up inside the macrophage cells?

• Macrophage cells multiply rapidly

• The crystals break down by themselves

• Scar tissue forms around the crystals

• The cells become more resistant to silica exposure

Can the damage caused by silica exposure continue even after the exposure stops?

• Yes, it can continue indefinitely

• No, the damage stops once the exposure ends

• Only if the exposure is minimal

• It depends on the type of silica encountered