In this latest episode, James sits down with Professor Deborah Yates – the leading voice on silicosis and dust diseases. Professor Yates is a Respiratory Physician and specialises in thoracic medicine and occupational lung disease.  She was also the first person to diagnose engineered stone silicosis in Australia in 2013. 

Australia's mining legacy has made silicosis a longstanding part of our history. In this extremely insightful conversation, Professor Yates discusses where exposure to silica dust occurs, how this causes disease and why engineered stone is the ‘perfect storm’ for accelerated disease development.  She shares what a diagnosis of silicosis actually means, how it impacts the body (and the mind!), the financial and social impacts and the available treatment and management options.  

This is a must-listen episode to understand what a diagnosis of silicosis means and what to do next. 

Deborah Yates is a Respiratory Physician, most recently in the Department of Thoracic Medicine at the St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney and a Conjoint Professor at the University of NSW. She has a longstanding clinical and research interest in obstructive lung disease, including asthma, COPD and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), and also in occupational lung disorders. She has published widely in the field of asthma and occupational lung disease including asbestos-related disorders and occupational asthma.

You can find out more about Professor Deborah Yates here: https://addri.org.au/who-we-are/our-expert-consultants-and-advisors/

For further insights into silicosis and to listen to the  personal journey of Deborah’s patient with silicosis Ken Parker, visit:  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dust-disease-diaries

To find out more about ADDRI, visit our website: www.addri.org.au

Thank you to our Podcast Interviewer and host James O’Loghlin and Producer Rod Morri from Sydney Podcast Studios.

If you have any questions or comments, please email info@addri.org.au