Mineralogy of lung tissue in dental laboratory technicians' pneumoconiosis.
This article reports on a case of pneumoconiosis in a dental laboratory technician with a history of respiratory exposure to dental materials. Special attention is paid to the mineralogical analysis of the lung biopsy. The abundance of chromium, cobalt, and silica particles suggests that the dental technician's pneumoconiosis is the result of the combined effects of hard metal dusts and silica particles generated during finishing dental frameworks. Adequate technical protection such as a local ventilation system should be considered in dental laboratories to prevent respiratory exposure of dental technicians to airborne contaminants.
Nayebzadeh
A
A
McGill University, Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. atanay@epid.lan.mcgill.ca
Dufresne
A
A
Harvie
S
S
Bégin
R
R
D002857:Chromium / Q000009:adverse effects; D003035:Cobalt / Q000009:adverse effects; D003764:Dental Materials / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003800:Dental Technicians; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects
D003764:Dental Materials; D004391:Dust; D002857:Chromium; D003035:Cobalt; D012822:Silicon Dioxide