Silicon Carbide in Lung Tissue of a Worker in the Abrasive Industry

Abstract

Lung tissue of a worker in an abrasive manufacturing plant, whose duration of dust exposure was about 10 years, was analyzed by means of bulk analysis and in situ analytical electron microanalysis. The content of the total dust in the lung was 120 mg/g of the dried lung tissue. This value is close to the average concentration of the total dust in the lungs of coal miners with massive fibrosis. The lung dust composition in this case was approximately 43% silicon carbide, 24% aluminium oxide, 2.3% cristobalite, 2.0% quartz, and trace of talc and feldspar. Silicon carbide may be one of the major etiologic agents in this case of pneumoconiosis.