Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0032273 (pneumoconiosis)
 1,578 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In two mines, "A"--in Lower Silesia with low, inclined coal seam and lesser degree of output mechanization and "B"--in the Silesia-Dabrowa Basin with high coal seams and a great degree of output mechanization), work conditions were examined (dust concentration, chemical composition of dust, and microclimate) and medical examinations of underground miners were done. The examinations involved: mine "A"--2094 miners, mine "B"--1846 miners. The two examined populations were almost identical as regards age and length of employment. The number of miners working in bad conditions in the "A" mine was twice as great as that of miners working in bad conditions in the "B" mine. In dust collected on work--stands in the "A" mine the amount of copper, chromium and vanadium was 3 times that in the "B" mine and in the "A" mine approximately 40% more nickel was found in the dust than in the "B" mine. Average dust concentration on work stands was 10 times greater in the "B" mine than in the "A" mine. The rate of pneumoconiosis was on average 3.7% in both populations, in the "A" mine--6.2% and in the "B" mine--0.8%. In currently working miners no nodular changes, like PMF, were found. The rate of pneumoconiosis significantly varied with the length of employment. In 71.7% miners changes in EKG were found, in the "B" mine the number of those with changes being about 10% greater than in those in the "A" mine. In miners from the "A" mine, mostly changes in conduction (17.1%) were found; in the "B" mine these changes were twice less frequent.
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PMID:[Respiratory tract diseases in coal miners. I. Pneumoconiosis]. 51 72

Pneumoconiosis from the carbon-copper-silica rods of film projector arc lamps is a relatively rare disease. There follows a description of a family in which the father and two sons developed radiographic changes after many years working as projectionists in New South Wales.
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PMID:A family with an unusual occupational hazard. 114 37

As part of a larger study relating to silica exposure, silicosis, and lung cancer mortality in Chinese mine and factory workers, 1936 old posterior-anterior chest X-rays were re-interpreted according to the 1986 Chinese Roentgenodiagnostic Criteria of pneumoconioses. Each film was independently read by three individuals from a panel of eleven radiologists, and this reading was compared to the original one. Subsequent to the independent readings, a groups of three readers interpreted the films together, called the consensus readings. Comparisons were made by Chinese stage of pneumoconiosis. For the entire cohort, there was a crude agreement of 57.4% between the old and the new interpretations. Agreement within one step of full agreement was 92.5%. The interpretations done by median reading and by consensus were very similar. In general, there was a tendency for the old readings to be slightly higher compared to the new interpretations. This tendency was most marked in the tin mines, followed in decreasing order by the iron/copper mines, the potteries, and the tungsten mines. The agreement between the old and new interpretations is felt to be satisfactory.
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PMID:A comparison of radiographic interpretation of silica exposed workers using the 1963 and the 1986 Chinese roentgenodiagnostic criteria of pneumoconioses. 133 88

The type of lung disease caused by metal compounds depends on the nature of the offending agent, its physicochemical form, the dose, exposure conditions and host factors. The fumes or gaseous forms of several metals, e.g. cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), nickel carbonyl (Nl(CO)4, zinc chloride (ZnCl2), vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), may lead to acute chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary oedema or to acute tracheobronchitis. Metal fume fever, which may follow the inhalation of metal fumes e.g. zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and many others, is a poorly understood influenza-like reaction, accompanied by an acute self-limiting neutrophil alveolitis. Chronic obstructive lung disease may result from occupational exposure to mineral dusts, including probably some metallic dusts, or from jobs involving the working of metal compounds, such as welding. Exposure to cadmium may lead to emphysema. Bronchial asthma may be caused by complex platinum salts, nickel, chromium or cobalt, presumably on the basis of allergic sensitization. The cause of asthma in aluminium workers is unknown. It is remarkable that asthma induced by nickel (Ni) or chromium (Cr) is apparently infrequent, considering their potency and frequent involvement as dermal sensitizers. Metallic dusts deposited in the lung may give rise to pulmonary fibrosis and functional impairment, depending on the fibrogenic potential of the agent and on poorly understood host factors. Inhalation of iron compounds causes siderosis, a pneumoconiosis with little or no fibrosis. Hard metal lung disease is a fibrosis characterized by desquamative and giant cell interstitial pneumonitis and is probably caused by cobalt, since a similar disease has been observed in workers exposed to cobalt in the absence of tungsten carbide. Chronic beryllium disease is a fibrosis with sarcoid-like epitheloid granulomas and is presumably due to a cell-mediated immune response to beryllium. Such a mechanism may be responsible for the pulmonary fibrosis occasionally found in subjects exposed to other metals e.g. aluminium (Al), titanium (Ti), rare earths. The proportion of lung cancer attributable to occupation is around 15%, with exposure to metals being frequently incriminated. Underground mining of e.g. uranium or iron is associated with a high incidence of lung cancer, as a result of exposure to radon. At least some forms of arsenic, chromium and nickel are well established lung carcinogens in humans. There is also evidence for increased lung cancer mortality in cadmium workers and in iron or steel workers.
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PMID:Metal toxicity and the respiratory tract. 217 66

Pathological changes of lung cancer in miners of Yunnan Tin Mine were studied, and additionally, mineral dust in the miners' lung were also investigated by using scanning electronic microscope, energy disperse X-ray spectrometer and electronic probe. The results showed: 1. mineral dust caused active hyperplasia, atypical hyperplasia, metaplasia and atypical metaplasia of the epithelial of alveoli and bronchi, which was able to induce cancer. 2. Pneumoconiosis-like changes in the miner's lung are correlated with the high incidence of lung cancer. 3. Correlated also with copper, lead, zinc and iron may be the high incidence of lung cancer. 4. Transition form from hyperplasia and atypical hyperplasia of alveolar epithelia to malignancy was observed. It suggests that lung squamous cell carcinoma probably originates from the alveolar epithelia of the lung.
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PMID:[Pathological survey of lung cancer induced by tin mine dust in Yunnan]. 263 64

Health effects have been documented among American vermiculite workers who mined and processed vermiculite contaminated with amphibole asbestos, viz., tremolite-actinolite. Workers mining and processing South Africa vermiculite (N = 172), which contains very little asbestos, underwent x-ray examination and lung function testing and completed a respiratory symptom questionnaire. The vermiculite workers were compared with other workers involved in the mining or refining of copper. Only two of the vermiculite workers showed evidence of small opacities of 1/0 or more (according to the ILO 1980 classification); lung function was comparable with the other groups of workers, and there was no excess of respiratory symptoms among the vermiculite workers. It is concluded that workers exposed to vermiculite that is minimally contaminated with asbestos are probably not at risk for pneumoconiosis, lung function impairment, or respiratory symptoms. It is likely that the health effects observed in other studies of vermiculite workers are the result of concomitant asbestos exposure. A risk of mesothelioma caused by the fiber content of the vermiculite cannot be excluded by this study.
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PMID:X-ray findings, lung function, and respiratory symptoms in black South African vermiculite workers. 278 25

Quantitative determination of 10 minor and 8 trace elements in respirable coal dust by atomic absorption spectrophotometry is described herein. The coal dust samples were collected in the mine atmosphere during drilling in coal seams. A "Hexhlet" apparatus specially designed and fitted with a horizontal elutriator was used to collect the respirable coal dust fraction. After destruction of organic matter by wet oxidation and filtering off the clay and silica, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, manganese, zinc, copper, cadmium, and nickel were determined directly in the resulting solution by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The studies relate to the respiratory disease-pneumoconiosis-affecting coal mine workers. X-Ray diffraction studies have shown the presence of kaolin, quartz, pirrsonite and beidellite clay minerals in the coal dust.
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PMID:Atomic absorption spectrophotometric and X-ray studies of respirable dusts in Indian coal mines. 705 29

This study investigated whether differences in the prevalence and severity of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) between three coal mines could be related to differences in oxidative stress exposure as evaluated in vivo through red-blood-cell antioxidant enzyme activities. Blood samples were obtained from 229 miners selected according to their occupation and their pneumoconiotic status. The following biomarkers were evaluated: erythrocyte catalase, Cu2+/Zn2+ superoxide dismutase (Cu2+/Zn2+ SOD), and glutathione peroxidase activities. Antioxidant enzyme activities did not differ significantly between the group of surface workers in Lorraine and the group of underground miners without CWP in Lorraine and in the other coal mines. Erythrocyte Cu2+/Zn2+ SOD activity was slightly decreased in the group of active underground miners with simple pneumoconiosis as compared with the group of miners without CWP in Nord/Pas-de-Calais. No effect was seen between retired miners at different stages of CWP. Our findings indicate that differences in the prevalence and severity of CWP do not seem to be related to various oxidative activities of coal dust particles, at least as reflected by measurements of antioxidant enzyme activities in circulating erythrocytes in this study.
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PMID:Erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities in coal miners from three French regions. 963 82

Molybdenum does not exist naturally in the pure metallic form and of the 5 oxidation states (2-6) the predominant species are Mo(IV) and Mo(VI). Molybdenum rapidly polymerizes to a wide variety of complex polymolybdate compounds in solution. The vast majority of molybdenum is used in metallurgical applications (stainless steel, cast-iron alloys). Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate is an experimental chelating agent for Wilson's disease. For the general population, the diet is the most important source of molybdenum and concentrations in water and air usually are negligible. The average daily dietary intake is about 0.1-0.5 mg m.o. Molybdenum is an essential element with relatively low toxicity. Enzymes containing molybdenum catalyze basic metabolic reactions in the carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycles. Elimination of molybdenum occurs via the kidney and usually is complete within several weeks. Molybdenosis (teart) is a form of molybdenum toxicity that produces a disease in ruminants similar to copper-deficiency. Little data are available on the human toxicity of molybdenum. A gout-like syndrome and pneumoconiosis have been associated with excessive concentrations of molybdenum, but the inadequate design of the studies prevents an adequate determination of the etiology of these effects.
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PMID:Molybdenum. 1038 58

Thirteen cases of silicate pneumoconiosis in 3- to 4-year-old hens are described. Ten of the birds were raised in the suburbs of a city near several chalk quarries and two cement-works; the remaining three hens (aged 3 years) had lived in an environment with high particulate pollution from a nearby brick-works in which large amounts of clay were used daily. Silicotic granulomas composed of dust-laden macrophages were scattered over the lungs. They were located mainly in the infundibula and atria of tertiary bronchi and around vessels; more rarely they occurred in the lamina propria mucosae of primary and secondary bronchi. Energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis coupled with both transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the dust was composed mainly of silicon, aluminium, calcium, iron and potassium. Titanium, sulphur, magnesium, zinc, copper and chlorine were also found. It is concluded that animals raised in polluted environmental conditions may serve as an important indicator of risks to human health and pathogenetic mechanisms. Thirteen cases of silicate pneumoconiosis in 3- to 4-year-old hens are described. Ten of the birds were raised in the suburbs of a city near several chalk quarries and two cement-works; the remaining three hens (aged 3 years) had lived in an environment with high particulate pollution from a nearby brick-works in which large amounts of clay were used daily. Silicotic granulomas composed of dust-laden macrophages were scattered over the lungs. They were located mainly in the infundibula and atria of tertiary bronchi and around vessels; more rarely they occurred in the lamina propria mucosae of primary and secondary bronchi. Energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis coupled with both transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the dust was composed mainly of silicon, aluminium, calcium, iron and potassium. Titanium, sulphur, magnesium, zinc, copper and chlorine were also found. It is concluded that animals raised in polluted environmental conditions may serve as an important indicator of risks to human health and pathogenetic mechanisms.
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PMID:Silicate pneumoconiosis in hens. 1080 78


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