Editing Knapping (section)

==Health hazards==
The sustained inhalation of flint dust produced by knapping can cause [[silicosis]]. This has been called "the world's first [[Occupational disease|industrial disease]]".<ref name="ancientcrafts">{{cite web | url=http://www.ancientcraft.co.uk/Flintknapping/Flintknapping.html#Health | title=Basic Tool Production Techniques, Health and Safety | publisher=ancientcrafts.co.uk | access-date=23 August 2015 | archive-date=14 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914071404/http://www.ancientcraft.co.uk/Flintknapping/Flintknapping.html#Health | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="pugetsound">{{cite web | last=Kalin | first=Jeffery | url=http://pugetsoundknappers.com/interesting_stuff/knapping_silicosis_article.html | title=Flintknapping and Silicosis | publisher=Pudget Sound Knappers | date=2010 | access-date=24 August 2015}}</ref> However, it is unclear how severe the issue may actually have been in prehistoric working conditions, as silicosis is aggravated by a lack of ventilation and the use of metal tools which produce more dust. Ancient knappers, working in the open air and with stone and bone tools, would have had less prolonged exposure to dust than in more modern workshops.{{sfn|Shaw|1981|p=156}}

When gun flint knapping was a large-scale industry in [[Brandon, Suffolk]], silicosis was widely known as ''knappers' rot''. It has been claimed silicosis was responsible for the early death of three-quarters of Brandon gun flint makers. In one workshop, seven of the eight workers died of the condition before the age of fifty.<ref name="ancientcrafts"/> The average age of death for knappers was 44 years, compared to 66 for other employed men in the same area.{{sfn|Shaw|1981|p=154}}

Modern knappers are advised to work in the open air to reduce the dust hazard, and to wear eye and hand protection.<ref name="ancientcrafts"/> Some modern knappers wear a [[respirator]] to guard against dust.<ref name="pugetsound"/> A 2020 survey of 173 knappers found that 86% used eye protection, 57% wore gloves, and only 5% used a respirator, mask, or fan to control dust (although 68% preferred to knap outdoors). About half of respondents reported being injured at least "often" when knapping, and 23% admitted having to seek professional medical attention at least once. The most commons injuries were cuts and bruises, typically on the fingers and hands, while flakes in the eye were also frequent.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Gala | first=Nicholas | last2=Lycett | first2=Stephen J. | last3=Bebber | first3=Michelle R. | last4=Eren | first4=Metin I. | title=The Injury Costs of Knapping | journal=American Antiquity | volume=88 | issue=3 | date=2023 | issn=0002-7316 | doi=10.1017/aaq.2023.27 | doi-access=free | pages=283–301}}</ref>