Rare Earth Pneumoconiosis: a New Case

A NEW CASE OF RARE EARTH (RE) PNEUMOCONIOSIS IS DESCRIBED. THE SUB- JECT HAD WORKED AS A PHOTOENGRAVER FOR 13 YEARS AND HAD NOT BEEN EX- POSED FOR 17 YEARS. CHEST X RAY SHOWED A DIFFUSE NODULAR PATTERN (Q 2/3 - ILO/1980). THE PATIENT WAS ASYMPTOMATIC DESPITE A RESTRICTI- VE SPIROMETRIC IMPAIRMENT. THE DIAGNOSIS DERIVED FROM THE FINDING, IN THE BRONCHOALVEOLAR LAVAGE FLUID, OF AN ABNORMAL LEVEL OF LA, CE, ND, SM, TB, YB, LU. THE PRESENCE OF THESE ELEMENTS WAS DEMONSTRATED WITH TWO METHODS: THE NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS AND (AS REGARDS CE ALO- NE) THE X RAY ENERGY SPECTROMETRY OF MINERAL PARTICLES OBSERVED WITH ELECTRON MICROSCOPE. ABNORMAL LEVELS OF RARE EARTHS WERE DEMONSTRATED ALSO IN THE NAILS, SUGGESTING AN ABSORPTION OF THE RE FROM THE LUNG.

SABBIONI Enrico;  PIETRA Romano;  SULOTTO F.;  ROMANO C.;  BERRA A.;  BOTTA G.C.;  RUBINO G.F.; 

1995-03-15

JRC4180

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC4180,