The dust from drywall construction can cause fatal health effects.
Drywall is used to build new homes and to upgrade existing homes with remodeling projects. Workers wear masks when constructing the drywall, but even so, they are exposed to the drywall dust. After a project, drywall dust lingers in the air, air ducts and furnaces. Serious health conditions can occur, sometimes fatal. If you're worried that there is leftover drywall dust in the air of your home, you should open your windows and spend some time outside of the house. If you're still worried, hire an air duct specialist to come in and clean your furnace and duct system.
Acute Discomfort
Immediate discomfort can occur from breathing in drywall dust. When inhaled, dust can cause acute symptoms such as nose, throat or lung irritation. Choking may occur from high levels of exposure to the dust, and long-term, chronic conditions may result from longer durations or higher levels of exposure to the dust. A person experiencing irritation, coughing or choking should be moved to a place with fresh air. If the discomfort does not subside, the person should contact a physician to be tested for more chronic conditions.
Silicosis
According to Clean Air America, an air duct cleaning company in Ohio, drywall dust contains crystalline silica and mica, both named hazardous materials by OSHA. These materials are found in the joint compound mud that fills the nail heads and seams that hold drywall in place. When the compound mud is sanded, dust with crystalline silica and mica is released into the air. When inhaled, lung tissue develops fiber nodules and scarring around the silica particles, causing what is referred to as silicosis. Breathing becomes more difficult and death can occur from lung disease or tuberculosis. Symptoms could occur a few weeks after exposure or up to 10 years after exposure.
Chronic Conditions
Aside from silicosis, other conditions can occur as well, according to Lafarge North America, a supplier of construction materials in the U.S. and Canada. These include carcinogenicity, because crystalline silica is considered a human carcinogen, and autoimmune diseases, including scleroderma, which is thickening of the skin, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and diseases of the kidneys. The risk for tuberculosis, kidney diseases and renal disease are all increased with the exposure to crystalline silica.
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