CIBJO has initiated to wake the diamond and gemstone industry to the dangers of silicosis, an after effect faced by most workers in gemstone factories. Beginning with the Chinese market, the CIBJO president Gaetano Cavalieri expressed the urgency for the industry to wake up to this issue.

The emission of cobalt and diamond dust in the diamond industry is not controlled as most of the world factories have poor ventilation. While, in modern and well managed workplaces, the problem has been largely eliminated through the installation of modern ventilation systems. At the Macau Jewellery Fair, Cavalieri said empahsised the need for strict safety standards to be implemented to help curb the problem.