Lc. Rainey et al., CHARACTERIZATION BY SCANNING-TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY OF SILICA PARTICLES FROM ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES OF COAL-MINERS, Environmental health perspectives, 102(10), 1994, pp. 862-868
The structure and composition of silica-rich particles recovered by la
vage from the lungs of three active miners with different medical hist
ories were studied using high-resolution electron microscopy and chemi
cal micro-analysis. The results are compared to the similarly determin
ed structure and composition of respirable-size mineral particles obta
ined from roof-bolter dust-box samples from two coal mines of widely d
ifferent bulk quartz concentrations. The results show that the lungs o
f the miners contain silica-based particles with structures not found
in the mine samples. Also, the particle structures and compositions fo
und in the macrophages were different in each of the miners. The resul
ts suggest the possibility that intracellular processes may affect the
susceptibility of individuals to silica-induced pneumoconioses.