Abstract
Chronic exposure to high concentrations of fumes during aluminum arc welding causes a severe pneumoconiosis characterized by diffuse pulmonary accumulation of aluminum metal and a corresponding reduction in lung function. Aluminum fume-induced pneumoconiosis is a rarely reported entity, of which the true incidence is unknown. We report the clinical, radiographic, microscopic, and microanalytic results of 2 coworkers, employed by the same aluminum shipbuilding facility, who died of complications from this disease. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis of the exogenous particle content in the lung tissue of these cases revealed the highest concentrations of aluminum particles (average of 9.26 billion aluminum particles per cm3 of lung tissue) among the 812 similar analyses in our pneumoconiosis database. One patient had an original clinical diagnosis of sarcoidosis but no evidence of granulomatous inflammation. HUM PATHOL 33:819-825. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
