So don't have your pets in the workspace when it's not safe for them. What kind of lousy pet parent are you to not consider that? Also, wear the proper breathing equipment. This isn't some lame COVID anti-masking thread where wearing a mask says something about your politiks. It's working in a less than ideal environment, so take the proper precautions.

This is like telling people not to go outside because the dangers of UV radiation are too much. Deal with it. Wear protective clothing, don't hide in a cave. Some of us are brave enough and have the ability to judge risk/reward so that we left the cave, we crossed the oceans, we've left the planet. I'd hate to live in a world were nobody did anything risky because someone previously had a bad experience and stopped rather than looking at the bad result, making changes, improving the outcome the next time.

This is a bummer as I had been thinking about grinding my own for some time now. I'd like to know more about it and how I can protect myself.

The only part of the wikipedia for Silicosis that mentions glass is about manufacturing it and, even if it includes the grinding part, the reference it links to doesn't mention glass or grinding at all.

If you have more pointers or keywords about this subject, please let me know!