Lupus linked to silica dust exposure in Australia-first workplace compensation claim

WorkSafe insurers have accepted a compensation claim for an employee who was diagnosed with lupus after being exposed to toxic silica dust, in what lawyers believe could be an Australia-first decision.

Lupus is an inflammatory disease which causes the immune system to attack its own tissues. It can affect the heart, lungs and brain.

Dianne Adams, 58, is one of seven people who claim they developed autoimmune conditions after working at silica milling factories in Dandenong and Lang Lang.

Ms Adams’s compensation claim was initially rejected.

But a revised decision handed down on March 3 means she no longer has to live without heating or internet at her regional property in Victoria.

“I’ve been on the dole for 10 years because I…