Which lung disease results from inhalation of silica dust?

• A. Emphysema
• B. Silicosis
• C. Asthma
• D. Pneumoconiosis

Answer: (B)

Inhalation of crystalline silica dust leads to a fibrotic lung disease called silicosis. The silica particles trigger chronic inflammation and the formation of fibrotic nodules in the lungs, a hallmark of silicosis, which is a specific form of pneumoconiosis caused by silica exposure. Emphysema involves alveolar destruction and airspace enlargement, typically linked to smoking, not silica. Asthma is an reversible airway hyperreactivity condition, not a dust-induced fibrotic disease. Pneumoconiosis is the broader category of lung fibrosis from inhaled dust, but when the cause is silica, the precise condition is silicosis.