Inhaled particles in human disease and animal models: use of electron beam instrumentation

The mineral pneumoconioses (lung disease caused by inhalation of inorganic dust) have been an important disease entity for centuries. In the last several decades, the electron microscope has been used to elucidate the distribution and identification of inhaled minerals, to aid in establishing etiologic factors, and less commonly, to determine the basic biologic mechanisms through which inhaled minerals cause lung disease. In this section, I review the instrumentation and tissue preparation currently used to address some modern problems in particle-induced lung disease. For example, human pneumoconioses of undetermined etiology can be clarified by electron microscopy and X-ray energy spectrometry. In addition, the initial deposition patterns of asbestos and silica are demonstrated in animal models, and the contributions of electron microscopy in establishing the initial lesions of asbestosis are described.