[Occupational exposure to silicon and dermatopolymyositis. 3 cases]

After 5, 16 and 21 years of occupational exposure to silica, 2 men and 1 woman, respectively, were diagnosed as having dermatopolymyositis. Pulmonary impairment was always present and took the form of diffuse interstitial fibrosis in 2 patients, whose lung biopsies revealed high particulate silica contents. The role of silica in the induction of dermatopolymyositis is discussed in light of published information on silica-induced connective tissue diseases.