This book represents a comprehensive review of current concepts concerning the development, progression, and treatment of silica-induced lung diseases. The text begins with a complete review of the historical evolution of our understanding of silicosis and a discussion of the clinical and pathological features of this disease. It presents critical questions that must be resolved and then details state-of-the-art experiments that address these problems. The book presents an extensive discussion of new technologies that have increased our understanding of the relationship of surface properties of particulates to their cytotoxicity and pathogenicity. It also presents data that explain the intracellular and intercellular mechanisms involved in the pulmonary response to silica exposure.