Problem
My community was built around two rivers that intersect towards the middle of the town. Having the two rivers, we have a high incidence of histoplasmosis related to pigeons and seagulls.
In addition to the histoplasmosis, we also have silicosis, which is from the Silica and LOF (Libbey Owens Ford, now Pilkington) plants in our town and a nearby town. Silica is a plant that mines and distributes the purest sand in the US. Our Ottawa, IL plant mines pure quartz sandstone. Per the US Silica history, the Ottawa facility became part of the US Silica family in 1987, and succeeds in continually improving its processes, products, and services, making them the leading producer of silica products, with an annual production rate of 2.2 million tons of silica annually (US Silica, n.d.). As living in this area practically my whole life, Silica is the leader in the production and distribution of sand, the purest sand.
Silicosis is caused by inhaling the dust or bits which is a byproduct or cast off from the mining of silica products. A physical exam diagnoses the disease. There are other tests such as the TB test since the patient is now prone to contracting TB. There are blood tests as well. The American Lung Association states one should quit smoking and separate from the irritant to help protect from this disease. Unfortunately, if this is your employment, there are other ways to protect yourself from obtaining this disease (American Lung Association, 2020). So, with all of this in my community, what would you do to make the community stronger? Healthier? Would you provide care?