| Popis: |
There is an association between exposure to silica dust and the development of silicosis. Studies have shown that the weight of silica dust retained in the lung is related to the presence and severity of silicosis. To study the dust retained in the lung a method of isolating it is required. Some studies suggest that lung tissue digestion methods, using acids, alkalis, or heat, alter the composition of silica dust retained in the lung. This study aimed to investigate whether methods used to digest lung tissue and isolate the retained dust are suitable for midsagittal sections of lung from deceased South African gold miners with silicosis. Ten methods were identified to digest lung tissue in the literature. Seven of these methods were carried out on midsagittal lung sections from cases with either moderate or marked sili- cosis. Of these, four methods digested a substantial portion of the lung |
