In a recent report, a team of researchers in Turkey detailed the case of a 29-year-old man with kidney dysfunction linked to silica exposure who was diagnosed with MPA associated with silicosis.

“Considering that the use and therefore frequency of exposure to silica is increasing with industrial development, awareness should be raised of not only the pulmonary effects of silicosis but also the renal [kidney] damage,” the researchers wrote.

In this case, a man who had worked in a quartz mine for eight years was found to have kidney dysfunction associated with silica exposure. The researchers noted that the man did not use a silica dust protective mask for the first 3.5 years.