Introduction: Silicosis is a respiratory disease caused by breathing in (inhaling) silica dust. Silica is acommon, naturally-occurring crystal. This dust form occurs during mining, quarrying, tunneling, and workingwith many metal ores. Silica is a main part of sand, so glass workers and sandblasters are also exposed to silica.But it is not common to affect handicraft workers. We report a case of pulmonary silicosis in a handicraft workerwithout the use proper of personal protective equipment. Methods: Case review in medical records and literaturereview in MEDLINE database. Case report: A female patient, 50 years of age came to the clinic with dry cough.She reported occupational history in working with glass crafting in which sandblasting was used for decorationof the pieces. On physical examination she had coarse breath sounds and some inspiratory wheezing in upperchest. Laboratory tests were normal as well as pulmonary function tests. Chest radiography showed small densenodules in the lung apices, and high resolution chest computed tomography showed the presence of multiplepulmonary nodules less than 10mm, compatible with diffuse nodular infiltrates, fibrotic changes, distortion andcoalescence more evident in the upper lobes of both lungs. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed micronodularhistiocytic infiltration with pulmonary fibrosis. Through these findings we established the diagnosis ofpulmonary silicosis, related to handicraft activity with sandblasting. Discussion: Silicosis is the most commonoccupational lung disease worldwide, it occurs everywhere but is especially common in developing countries asBrazil. Although it is common in sandblasters, we found no reports in literature regarding domestic craftworkers. The problem is that because they do not have occupational guidance, these workers can go for yearswithout knowing the risks they are suffering. There must be some way to warn and educate these handicrafthomeworkers to avoid the risk of severe disease.
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