Occupational respiratory diseases.

The respiratory tract is often the site of injury from occupational exposures because it has direct contact with the ambient environment. Inhalation of potentially toxic materials in the workplace can lead to all major lung diseases with the exception of pulmonary vascular ones. New materials are being introduced into the workplace at a rate faster than their potential toxicities can be evaluated, and some are found to cause lung disease. Therefore, the possibility of occupational lung disease should be considered whenever a working or retired person has unexplained respiratory illness.