The Tissue Reaction in the Lungs of Rats after the Inhalation of Coal Dust Containing 2% of Quartz

Abstract

Belt and found that pure coal dust, whether anthracite or bituminous, was of low pathogenicity, producing only minimal fibrosis; but there was some evidence to show that with increased siliceous matter in the coal the pathogenicity also increased. King, Harrison, and Ray (1949) found that when 5 and 10 mg. of quartz were mixed with 95 and 90mg. of anthracite coal respectively and injected intratracheally into rats larger and more numerous nodules containing more reticulin resulted than were produced by the injections of clean coal (anthracite with very little ash). Ray, King, and Harrison (195la) showed that when 2 mg. of quartz was given by intratracheal injection to rats there was no fibrotic reaction in the animals' lungs since it was removed to the hilar lymph nodes, where it did cause some fibrosis. Pure anthracite (100 mg.), when introduced into the lungs by the same route, also produced no pulmonary fibrosis, but when 2 mg. quartz was mixed with 98 mg. of pure anthracite coal and injected into the lungs, fibrotic nodules resulted. Ray et al. (1951b) realized the limitation of their experiment in that the intratracheal technique did not simulate dust inhalation. Hence, they suggested the repetition of the experiments by a dusting technique.The present work was undertaken to find out whether a small amount of silica mixed with pure anthracite coal would lead to pulmonary fibrosis. Two dusting experiments were set up, the first with a light exposure to quartz alone and the second with a mixture of 2 % quartz and 98 % coal.

Proposed criteria for mixed-dust pneumoconiosis: Definition, descriptions, and guidelines for pathologic diagnosis and clinical correlation1 1The NIKKO-Symposium on Mixed-Dust Pneumoconiosis was held October 18–19, 1997, in Nikko, Tochigi, Japan, to develop diagnostic criteria for mixed-dust pneumoconiosis under the auspices of Labour Welfare Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. The Organizing Committee included Keizo Chiyotani, Koichi Honma, Yutaka Hosoda, and Hisao Shida, and participants included Zoltán Adamis, E

“…The results indicate that the intense fibrogenic effect of crystalline silica is modified or dampened by a variety of agents including iron, [13][14][15][16] coal, 17 …”

Mineral dust and pulmonary lesions: Etiological link or epiphenomenon?

“…The various research laboratories which focus on the biological effects of inorganic dust should begin studies involved in mineral-mineral synergism in the production of pulmonary lesions. The work of the King-Nagelschmidt groups stand alone here [e.g., King et al, 1958;19621. It is well known that the pulmonary tissues of asbestos-exposed insulation workers frequently contain nonfibrous particles which may exceed the asbestos fiber content, numerically, by orders of magnitude.…”

Experimental Infective Pneumoconiosis

“…From the time of the M.R.C. survey, King and his co-workers undertook a great many animal experiments to investigate both the coal plus silica theory (King Harrison, Ray, 1949 ;Ray, King, Harrison, 1951 a,b,;King, Zaidi, Harrison, Nagelschmidt, 1958;Ross, King, Yoganathan, Nagelschmidt, 1962 ;King, Sivalingham, Trevellan, Nagelschmidt, 1962), and the coal plus tubercle bacilli theory (King, Harrison, Mohanty, Mitchison, 1953;Attygalle et al, 1954Attygalle et al, , 1956Zaidi et al, 1955 a, b, c ;King, Yoganathan, Harrison, Mitchison, 1957;Byers, King, Harrison, 1960), as well as to study the effect in animal lungs of kaolin (Attygale et al, 1954, Byers andKing, 1959), and haematite King, 1961, Byers, King andHarrison, 1960) alone and combined with living and dead tubercle bacilli.…”