I've been taking a semester of ceramics at my community college. Ceramics I class started Aug 27th and it lasts til December 17th. I've already signed up for Ceramics II for the winter semester.
I've been sick with a sore throat which I assumed must be strep throat so I've been trying to sleep it off, since I have no health insurance it's all I can do. Well when I went back into class a week after my week of rest I put on an apron and started on a new piece. During the process I got something on the apron and tried to get it off and my apron must have had alot of dust on it because I caused a big cloud of dust when I was cleaning it. I breathed in some of it, causing me to get into a coughing fit. I went on with my day, not giving it a second thought. I hadn't noticed anything other than a weird dry throat feeling. I tried drinking water, pop, and tea but nothing worked. When I mentioned it to my husband he told me that clay dries things out and chances are the clay I breathed in earlier in the day was causing it. As the day progressed I noticed a tickle in my throat making me want to cough. It started to feel strange breathing. Everytime I breathed in I felt the urge to cough.
I went to bed that night after drinking some honey with tea, hoping to feel better. Well here I am 3 days later dealing with the same strange breathing problem. So I decided to Google about it. I found out that prolonged exposure to clay dust can cause serious, fatal health issues that cause major breathing problems.
Here's the article I read: http://www.suite101.com/content/the-dangers-of-silica-dust-a200957
Now my question is if prolonged exposure can cause this, has the amount of time I've been exposed to clay dust enough time to cause these issues? Could I be experiencing the beginning stages?
Why didn't my teacher tell us the health risks and offer a mask or something? Isn't there a law that would make him required to notify us of the dangers we are encountering? And if I am in the beginning stages of Silicosis, can I do something to make it better before it gets fatal? Can I sue my teacher for not notifying me or offering me a way to protect myself?
Please help! I'm kinda freaking out right now. I'm only 24 years old, I don't want my life to end before it's truly begun.
Thanks, Nikki
I've been sick with a sore throat which I assumed must be strep throat so I've been trying to sleep it off, since I have no health insurance it's all I can do. Well when I went back into class a week after my week of rest I put on an apron and started on a new piece. During the process I got something on the apron and tried to get it off and my apron must have had alot of dust on it because I caused a big cloud of dust when I was cleaning it. I breathed in some of it, causing me to get into a coughing fit. I went on with my day, not giving it a second thought. I hadn't noticed anything other than a weird dry throat feeling. I tried drinking water, pop, and tea but nothing worked. When I mentioned it to my husband he told me that clay dries things out and chances are the clay I breathed in earlier in the day was causing it. As the day progressed I noticed a tickle in my throat making me want to cough. It started to feel strange breathing. Everytime I breathed in I felt the urge to cough.
I went to bed that night after drinking some honey with tea, hoping to feel better. Well here I am 3 days later dealing with the same strange breathing problem. So I decided to Google about it. I found out that prolonged exposure to clay dust can cause serious, fatal health issues that cause major breathing problems.
Here's the article I read: http://www.suite101.com/content/the-dangers-of-silica-dust-a200957
Now my question is if prolonged exposure can cause this, has the amount of time I've been exposed to clay dust enough time to cause these issues? Could I be experiencing the beginning stages?
Why didn't my teacher tell us the health risks and offer a mask or something? Isn't there a law that would make him required to notify us of the dangers we are encountering? And if I am in the beginning stages of Silicosis, can I do something to make it better before it gets fatal? Can I sue my teacher for not notifying me or offering me a way to protect myself?
Please help! I'm kinda freaking out right now. I'm only 24 years old, I don't want my life to end before it's truly begun.
Thanks, Nikki