Dust and Collagen Content of Lungs of Coal-Workers with Progressive Massive Fibrosis

AUTOR(ES)

Nagelschmidt, G.

RESUMO

In order to test the silica theory of the origin of progressive massive fibrosis (P.M.F.) in coal-miners' pneumoconiosis, separate dust analyses have been made of the massive lesions and of the rest of the lung from 18 coal-workers with P.M.F. who had been employed in several coalfields. The dry weight of the massive lesions ranged from 5 to over 100 g. and the dust concentration in the P.M.F. lesions was on an average twice as high as in the rest of the lung. It was found that the quartz percentage of the lung dust was almost identical in the two samples from each lung (Table 3). The quartz content of the average lung dust (P.M.F. and “rest of lung”) of 32 cases of P.M.F. was compared with that of 58 cases of simple pneumoconiosis. The quartz content of the P.M.F. dust was slightly higher but, allowing for variable dust composition in different coalfields, the difference was not significant (Table 8). The silica theory of P.M.F. cannot be supported by this study.

Documentos Relacionados

• Dust and Fibrosis in the Lungs of Coal-Workers from the Wigan Area of Lancashire
• Primary Lung Cancer in South Wales Coal-workers with Pneumoconiosis
• The Dust Content of the Lungs of Coal Workers from Cumberland
• Vocal cord paralysis associated with coalworkers' pneumoconiosis and progressive massive fibrosis.
• Central lymph node changes and progressive massive fibrosis in coalworkers.