Fluorosis – an Occupational Disease of Workers of Huta Silesia in Rybnik. A Broken Narrative

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse the narrative of occupational disease which had been diagnosed within a group of enameller and metalworkers of Huta Silesia active in Rybnik, Poland in 1753–1998. The disease was a consequence of a long-lasting exposition to fluorides. Following the history of Huta Silesia, the Author tracks the connections of the production of enamel and the air pollution, and changes in health resulting from exposure to fluorine. Three groups of sources have been analysed. The first contains local press articles from 1971–1993, published in the following titles: Nowiny, Trybuna Śląska, and Gazeta Rybnicka. The second one contains four interviews with ex-workers recorded in 2022. The third one is a collection of scientific studies from the area of the history of Upper Silesia Industrial Area, history of Aluminium Smelter Silesia, and archival research of environmental pollution of the region. All the three stand as a contribution to the environmental history of Upper Silesia. The main thesis is that the broken narrative of the fluorosis is built of alternate phases of silencing and publicizing the demands of workers and citizens fighting for right to live in healthy environment.