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

Epidemiology and Imaging of Dust Diseases
Pathological Reactions to Inhaled Particles and Fibers
Bio-Aerosols and Organic Dusts
Chemical-Induced Lung Injury and Its Long-Term Sequelae
Occupational and Environmental Lung Disease: The Role of Imaging
ILO Classification
Lung Function for Radiology
Mineralogical Analysis of Lung Samples
Immunological Methods
Imaging
Lung Effects of Cigarette Smoking
Silicosis
Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis
Asbestosis
Non-Malignant Asbestos-Related Pleural Disorders
Mesothelioma
Beryllium-Related Diseases
Hard Metal and Cobalt Disease
Other Uncommon Pneumoconioses
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.