Shinyanga. A specialist in internal medicine at Shinyanga Regional Referral Hospital, Dr Yohana Bunzari, has said that although there are no official national statistics on silicosis, the respiratory disease is becoming increasingly prevalent in mining communities.
Silicosis is a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust, usually over many years. Silica is a substance naturally found in certain types of stone, rock, sand and clay.
