[Lipid pneumopathy caused by occupational exposure to cutting oil]

This is a case report of a diffuse interstitial pneumonia which developed rapidly in a 45-year-old patient who was occupationally exposed to regular inhalations of motor oil spray. The diagnosis of lipid pneumonia was based on a lung biopsy carried out by thoracoscopy. The biochemical analysis of the lipid extracted from the alveolar lavage and of the pleural liquid showed the presence of hydrocarbons, which were analogous to those found in motor oil and the strippings that were used. The subsequent progress without treatment after removal from the risk showed a partial regression of the radiological abnormalities. The incidence of occupational pneumonia to mineral oils is relatively low when the frequency of exposure is taken into account: objective data on the extent and the nature of exposure are often incomplete in published observations. The occurrence of respiratory symptoms or radiological changes in exposed subjects requires, nevertheless, a search for a possible lipid pneumonia. The diagnosis rests on a biochemical and cytological analysis of the alveolar liquid and on a lung biopsy.