Background Engineered stone silicosis is an emerging disease in many countries worldwide produced by the inhalation of respirable dust of engineered stone. This silicosis has a high incidence among young workers, with a short latency period and greater aggressiveness than silicosis caused by natural materials. Although the silica content is very high and this is the key factor, it has been postulated that other constituents in engineered stones can influence the aggressiveness of the disease. Different samples of engineered stone countertops (fabricated by workers during the years prior to their diagnoses), as well as seven lung samples from exposed patients, were analyzed by multiple techniques. Results The different countertops were composed of SiO2 in percentages between 87.9 and 99.6%, with variable relationships of quartz and cristobalite depending on the sample. The most abundant metals were Al, Na, Fe, Ca and Ti. The most frequent volatile organic compounds were styrene, toluene and m-xylene, and among the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenanthrene and naphthalene were detected in all samples. Patients were all males, between 26 and 46 years-old (average age: 36) at the moment of the diagnosis. They were exposed to the engineered stone an average time of 14 years. At diagnosis, only one patient had progressive massive fibrosis. After a follow-up period of 8 ± 3 years, four patients presented progressive massive fibrosis. Samples obtained from lung biopsies most frequently showed well or ill-defined nodules, composed of histiocytic cells and fibroblasts without central hyalinization. All tissue samples showed high proportion of Si and Al at the center of the nodules, becoming sparser at the periphery. Al to Si content ratios turned out to be higher than 1 in two of the studied cases. Correlation between Si and Al was very high (r = 0.93). Conclusion Some of the volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals detected in the studied countertop samples have been described as causative of lung inflammation and respiratory disease. Among inorganic constituents, aluminum has been a relevant component within the silicotic nodule, reaching atomic concentrations even higher than silicon in some cases. Such concentrations, both for silicon and aluminum showed a decreasing tendency from the center of the nodule towards its frontier.

Recibido el 24 de octubre de 2012; aceptado el 26 de noviembre de 2012 Disponible en Internet el 11 de marzo de 2013 PALABRAS CLAVE Schwannoma; Neurilemoma; MamaResumen Los schwannomas o neurilemomas son neoplasias benignas originadas en las células de Schwann de la vaina de los nervios periféricos. Se presentan habitualmente en la cabeza, el cuello, el tronco o en las superficies flexoras de las extremidades, siendo su localización en la mama extremadamente rara. Pueden surgir de forma esporádica, o en el contexto de una neurofibromatosis.Una exhaustiva revisión de la bibliografía ha demostrado un total de 28 casos de schwannomas mamarios documentados en la literatura. En este artículo, presentamos un nuevo caso de schwannoma en la mama de una mujer joven, describiendo los hallazgos mamográficos, ecográficos e histológicos característicos de esta entidad. ß 2012 SEGO. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L. Todos los derechos reservados. KEYWORDS Schwannoma; Neurilemmoma; BreastBreast schwannoma: Apropos of a case Abstract Schwannomas or neurilemmomas are benign neoplasms arising in Schwann cells of the peripheral nerve sheath. The most common locations include the head, neck, trunk and flexor surface of the extremities, the breast being a highly unusual location. These tumors may arise sporadically or in the context of neurofibromatosis.An exhaustive review of the literature revealed 28 cases of intramammary schwannomas reported in the English-language literature. We report a new case of Schwannoma of the breast in a young woman and describe its mammographic, ultrasound and histological features.