Occupational Lung Disease

Question 1

What are the two disease categories caused by occupational exposure?

Answer 1

Airway disease (asthma, RADS, COPD, constrictive/obliterative bronchiolitis)
Interstitial disease (asbestositis, silicosis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, hypersensitivity pneumonia, chronic beryllium disease)

Question 2

What causes occupational asthma?

Answer 2

Animal proteins, flours, isocyanate (paint), plicatic acid (cedar), epoxy, platinum.

Question 3

What causes Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS)?

Answer 3

Noxious irritant gases, vapors, or dusts.

Question 4

What causes occupational COPD?

Answer 4

Biomass combustion, silica, coal mine dust, vanadium, organic dusts.

Question 5

What causes constrictive/obliterative bronchiolitis?

Answer 5

Noxious gases (NO, SO2), combustion products.

Question 6

Who contracts silicosis?

Answer 6

Hard rock miners, foundry workers, sandblasters, stone-washed jean manufacturers

Question 7

What causes chronic beryllium disease?

Answer 7

Aerospace engineering, nuclear bomb manufacturing, nuclear reactors, high tech electronics.

Question 8

What causes hypersensitivity pneumonia?

Answer 8

Animal proteins (birds-Bird Fancier’s Lung), microbial aerosols (fungi, hay bacteria- Farmer’s Lung, hot tubs, humidifiers, machinery fluid).