Biology · Breathing and Exchange of Gases · NEET
By dust, not smoking. Silicosis comes from breathing in fine dust for a long time in jobs like grinding and stone-breaking. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of emphysema, not silicosis. NEET often swaps these two to confuse you — remember: dust job = silicosis, smoking = emphysema.
Fibrosis means the growth (proliferation) of extra fibrous tissue in the lung. When too much dust enters, the body's defense cannot clear it, so long exposure causes inflammation that leads to fibrosis. This fibrous tissue stiffens the lung and causes serious lung damage, making gas exchange harder.
Because it is caused by a person's occupation (their job). Workers in certain industries, especially grinding or stone-breaking, breathe in so much dust at work that the body cannot cope. NCERT says such workers should wear protective masks. So the disease is tied to the workplace, not to lifestyle or infection.
No. Asthma is caused by an allergic reaction and inflammation of the bronchi and bronchioles, not by workplace dust. The classic occupational respiratory disorder in NCERT is silicosis. If a NEET question asks for an 'occupational' disorder, the answer is silicosis, not asthma or emphysema.
NCERT gives one clear line: workers in dusty industries (grinding, stone-breaking) should wear protective masks. The mask stops the dust from reaching the lungs, so the body's defense mechanism is not overloaded and fibrosis is avoided.
Which of the following is an occupational respiratory disorder?
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
Silicosis. It is caused by breathing in dust for a long time in industries such as grinding and stone-breaking.
Long exposure to industrial dust. So much dust is produced that the body's defense cannot cope, causing inflammation, fibrosis, and serious lung damage.
Silicosis is caused by workplace dust and leads to fibrosis. Emphysema is caused mainly by cigarette smoking and damages the alveolar walls, decreasing the respiratory surface.
Workers in dusty industries like grinding and stone-breaking should wear protective masks to keep dust out of the lungs.
No. It is not caused by bacteria or viruses. It is a non-infectious disorder caused by inhaling dust at work, which triggers inflammation and fibrosis.
