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Pulmonary fibrosis in a carpenter with long‐lasting exposure to fiberglass
Author(s) -
Takahashi Toru,
Munakata Mitsuru,
Takekawa Hiroyuki,
Homma Yukihiko,
Kawakami Yoshikazu
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199611)30:5<596::aid-ajim7>3.0.co;2-r
Subject(s) - medicine , lung , fibrosis , pathology , chest radiograph , pulmonary fibrosis , inhalation , lung fibrosis , infiltration (hvac) , mononuclear cell infiltration , anatomy , composite material , materials science
A 56‐year‐old male carpenter had a history of glass fiber inhalation for 41 years without any protective device. His chest radiograph showed small nodular opacities in lower lung fields and multiple cystic lesions and low attenuation areas in upper lung fields. Light and polarizing microscopic examinations of his transbronchial lung biopsy specimen revealed mild interstitial fibrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration in alveolar walls without birefringent substances. However, widespread depositions of small glass fibers (< 2.5 μm in length and 0.3 μm in diameter) were detected by analytical electron microscopy, which suggested their possible contribution to the development of his pulmonary fibrosis. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.