A group of MPs and Lords is calling for new regulations to treat silica dust like asbestos, and to halve the legal limit to workplace exposure.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Respiratory Health said more should be done to tackle silicosis, the most common chronic occupational lung disease in the world. It is caused by respirable crystalline silica, which is created when bricks or stone are fractured, cut or drilled into. There are around 450 lung cancer deaths a year among former construction workers exposed to the dust. Read more: constructionnews.co.uk