title: Evaluation of workers exposed to dust containing hard metals and aluminum oxide.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fourteen worker exposed to hard metals and aluminum oxide were evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six heavily exposed workers underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage, and five workers underwent transbronchial biopsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microchemical analysis of transbronchial biopsies showed a high lung burden of exogenous particles, especially metal related to their hard metals exposure. Lung tissue and cellular changes, which were associated with exposure to hard metal and aluminum oxide, corresponded well with the microanalytic test results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three workers had at biopsy diffuse interstitial inflammatory changes: two of them were asymptomatic with normal chest X-ray films, and one had clinically evident disease with severe giant cell inflammation. Two other workers showed focal inflammation. The worker showing clinical disease and one asymptomatic worker with interstitial inflammatory changes had evaluated bronchoalveolar lavage fluid-eosinophilia counts. These two were father (with clinical disease) and son (asymptomatic).
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary & Allergy Institute, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Israel. schwarz@tasmc.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kivity
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fischbein
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fireman
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moshe
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dannon
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Topilsky
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Greif
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission
chemical_list: D004391:Dust; D000537:Aluminum Oxide