When you next drive through a tunnel in or around Sydney, spare a thought for the tunnellers who have been working in unacceptably dusty conditions, inhaling toxic dust, to save your travel time.

The number of cases of silicosis in this workforce has not been made available nor transparently monitored in NSW. Such workers are also at risk of developing other lung disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung diseases, preventable infections and lung cancer.

And if that were not enough, they are at risk of what are known as autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic sclerosis. Silicosis is only one of many diseases that can follow silica exposure, but these frequently go unrecognised.

Tunnel workers are exposed to........

© The Sydney Morning Herald