Interstitial lung disease related to occupational hard metal exposure: two case reports.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hard metal lung disease (HMLD) is a relatively less known occupational interstitial lung disease, and instances of HMLD resulting from para-occupational exposure are rarely reported.

Case presentation

This paper presents two cases of interstitial lung disease caused by exposure to hard metal. The first case involves a 37-year-old Taiwanese man who had worked at a grinder station for hard metal materials for 12 years without respiratory protective equipment. He experienced a dry cough and exertional dyspnea, and his chest imaging and pathology findings were consistent with the features of usual interstitial pneumonia. Analysis of his lung tissue revealed the presence of tungsten and cobalt. The second case involves a 68-year-old Taiwanese woman, the mother of the f

SUBMITTER: Lin IF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10357746 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature