Interstitial lung disease (ILD) due to inhalation of fume/smoke from heating or burning of synthetic polymers has not been reported previously. A fish farm worker developed ILD after cutting rope (polypropylene and nylon) for about 2 hours per day over an extended period using an electrically heated 'knife'. This process produced fume/smoke that entered the workers breathing zone. No other likely cause was identified. This case suggests that exposure to airborne contaminants generated by the heating or burning of synthetic polymers has the potential to cause serious lung disease. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Contribution to Refereed Journal
Keywords:	inhalational toxicology, interstitial lung disease, man-made synthetic fibres, occupational exposure, occupational respiratory disease
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology
Research Field:	Respiratory Diseases
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions)
Objective Field:	Respiratory System and Diseases (incl. Asthma)
UTAS Author:	Wood-Baker, R (Professor Richard Wood-Baker)
ID Code:	89178
Year Published:	2013
Web of Science® Times Cited:	5
Deposited By:	Medicine
Deposited On:	2014-02-26
Last Modified:	2014-06-18
Downloads:	0