The spectrum of occupational and environmental diseases has changed markedly in recent years. New industrial processes have led to the production and use of a wide range of chemicals, metals, and alloys, an increasing number of which have been reported to cause interstitial lung disease in exposed workers. Thus, while the workforce in coal mining and asbestos handling has decreased, new groups of workers are at risk of exposure to agents potentially responsible for pneumoconiosis. This well-illustrated book, written by internationally acclaimed experts, provides a comprehensive approach to modern imaging of environmental and occupational diseases of the chest. The first part of the book addresses the basic knowledge required to understand imaging in this context, while the second focuses on the imaging results achieved in a variety of specific disorders. There is particular emphasis on thin-section computed tomography since this technique facilitates the detection of early subclinical abnormalities.

The Basics for Understanding Imaging: Epidemiolog

Responses of the Respiratory System to Inhaled Agents (Airways, Lung, and Pleura)
Mineral Dusts and Fibers
Bioaerosols and Organic Dusts
Chemicals and Pollutants (Including Acute Lung Injury and Long-Term Sequellae)
Diagnostic Techniques
Imaging Techniques
ILO Classification
Lung Function Studies
Mineralogic Analyses
Immunological Methods
Imaging: Lung Effects of Cigarette Smoking
Silicosis
Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis
Asbestosis
Benign Asbestos-Related Pleural Diseases
Malignant Mesothelioma
Berylliosis
Hard-Metal andCobalt Disease
Dental Technician's Pneumoconiosis
Other Uncommon Pneumoconioses
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
Subject Index
List of Contributors.