Development and use of a pneumoconiosis database of human pulmonary inorganic particulate burden in over 400 lungs

Over 400 cases with data from in situ electron microprobe quantitation of non-fibrous inorganic particles (e.g., silica, alumino-silicates, talc, metals) in pulmonary tissue sections, and data from quantitative digestion analyses for fiber content (e.g., asbestos, silica, alumino-silicates, man-made fibers, talc) comprise an extensive microcomputer data set of lung particle burden. When allied with demographic and histopathologic information the result is a comprehensive database of occupational pulmonary pathology. Examples of the kinds of information which can be extracted from the database include: 1) summary information on the types sizes and associations of particles in lungs with a variety of exposures, 2) concentrations of etiologic particle type in cases with recognized pneumoconioses, and 3) correlations between particle type, pathology, occupation and social history. The database provides a powerful tool for assessing such information on statistically meaningful sample sets.