What Are The Risk Factors For Siderosis?

Iron Rolling

Individuals who have an occupation associated with iron rolling are at an increased risk of developing siderosis. Rolling in terms of the metalworking industry is a process that forms metal through the use of several pairs of rolls. The purpose of metal rolling is to give it a uniform thickness or to reduce its thickness. Metal rolling is the most prevalent method for the shaping of metals, and particularly the shaping of steel for use in numerous industries. Rolling can be done to steel with the use of cold rollers or rollers heated to increase the plasticity of the metal. The process of rolling iron causes small flake-like particles to shave off of the metal into the surrounding air and environment. Workers that facilitate this rolling process, both hot and cold, are regularly exposed to the iron dust produced from the mechanical shaping of the metal. Although environmental factors can be manually manipulated and controlled in the interior of a facility, the amount of metal processing byproduct often exceeds the ventilation and filtering ability of the commercial air systems. Unprotected workers in such professions are at a higher risk of developing siderosis because the constant exposure to steel dust causes inflammation in their lungs.