La silicosis: ¿un problema de salud pública prioritario para Chile?

Abstract

Work related diseases and common diseases are covered by separated health systems in Chile. Chilean Ministry of Health focuses on common diseases, making work related diseases almost absent from public health policies. In this article current national and international information about the magnitude and impact of silicosis is reviewed. Although the quality of the national information is suboptimal, it is possible to estimate in several hundreds of thousands the number of workers exposed to silica dust, tens of thousands those under medical surveillance and thousands those currently affected by the disease. Albeit, additional efforts need to be made to estimate the burden of this disease on the Chilean population, information gathered in this article suggests that it is a relevant public health issue, deserving more importance among public policies in our country.