Zeolite exposure and associated pneumoconiosis.

Naturally occurring zeolite minerals are aluminum silicates widespread in the earth's crust. Several of these minerals have fibrous forms and have been implicated as a possible cause of benign and malignant diseases of the lung and pleura in Turkey. This report describes a patient, living in an area of Nevada rich in zeolites, who presented with idiopathic pleural thickening and pulmonary fibrosis associated with extensive pulmonary deposition of zeolites.