This offseason, Derek Bohne Jr took a trip to Hawaii. When he came back, he wasn't feeling well. After much prompting from Toronto, who now hold his SHL rights, he finally went to the doctor. He was referred to a specialist. After waiting weeks, he finally had his appointment. The doctor performed all sorts of tests on his respitory system, and finally had some results after much research in medial journals. Bohne was diagnosed with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. Bohne just blinked and asked the doctor to spell it. He very carefully spelled it out - pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

Still not sure what the hell the doctor was saying, he told Bohne it was the same as silocosis. Bohne still wasn't sure what that was.

His doctor quoted WebMD - "Silicosis is a lung disease. It usually happens in jobs where you breathe in dust that contains silica. That's a tiny crystal found in sand, rock, or mineral ores like quartz. Over time, silica can build up in your lungs and breathing passages. This leads to scarring that makes it hard to breathe."

It turns out that this is a very serious thing, very commonly found in construction workers, and part of the reason that OSHA has mandated HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters on things that create dust, like hammer drills.

Bohne didn't know what to say, so he just slowly walked out. What does it mean for him moving forward?

Edit - Outside of messing with Troy, silicosis is a very serious concern for the long term health of anyone involved in the construction industry, among other industries. It's said if it gets bad enough over the years, you'll basically feel like you're drowning while you're standing on dry land. If you, or anyone you know, is in an industry where silica dust is a common thing, it's really worth it to look into it. We were told it's one of the leading killers in our field.


https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3176.html

https://www.silicosis.com/workplace_dangers/index.php

https://oem.bmj.com/content/60/2/122