1992 Volume 55 Issue 4 Pages 392-393
In order to assess the risk of lung diseases in dental health care workers, we measured the amounts of several metallic dusts present in the lungs of a dental laboratory technician who had died of lung cancer, using the particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method and radioactivation analysis. The amounts of K, Ti, Cr, Mn, Ni, Zn, Co and Au in the lungs of the technician were increased in comparison with those in the general population. Since these elements are contained in dental materials, we hope that our findings will alert dental health care workers of their possible effects on the lungs and encourage them to improve environmental hygiene in dental clinics and laboratories.
