Asbestos-induced lung injury among Danish jewelry workers

Asbestos has been used extensively in a variety of occupations. In the jewelry industry, inadequate hygiene practices may often go unrecognized with resultant exposure to hazardous amounts of asbestos. We report on four retired jewelers. Two of these had both pleural and parenchymal changes. One had isolated pleural plaques and the final patient showed only parenchymal infiltrates. Their work involved hand cutting asbestos plates used for protection during soldering. In the soldering process asbestos fibers were then blown into the workroom air as the plates broke down. In addition, at the end of each work day the workroom floor was swept, with subsequent airborne asbestos dust distribution. Any patient with pleural plaques or interstitial lung disease should be questioned about potential sources of asbestos exposure in the past, regardless of present employment status.