Effects of Particle Size of Coal Mine Dusts in Experimental Anthracosilicosis: III. Tissue Reactions in Lymph Nodes

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Abstract
In addition to mineral composition, various other factors influence the pathogenicity of the coal mine dusts. The grain size distribution of the dusts indicates the depth of deposition of dusts in the alveolar region. Thus there may arise the question of the severity of the health hazards caused by every particle size. To find an answer to such a question, four samples of coal mine dusts were classified according to their grain sizes ranging from 1 to 7 μm in diameter. Three of these samples (TF1, TF3, TF4) were obtained from the Ruhr mining area and the fourth (TF5) from the Saar mining area. Among these, TF1, TF4 and TF5 were found to be rich in non-coal minerals which composed 80% of the samples, whereas TF3 was made up of 30% non-coal minerals. The cytotoxicity of the dusts was studied together with the penetration of the dusts into the regional lymph nodes and the fibrogenicity of the dusts in the lymph nodes. It can be concluded that the grain size of the dust should be used as a determinant of the hazardous effects of coal mine dusts. Furthermore, our results indicate the presence of at least two different pathogenic principles concerning the reaction to coal mine dusts in the development of pneumoconiosis.

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