Inhalation of china stone and china clay dusts: relationship between the mineralogy of dust retained in the lungs and pathological changes.

A combined clinical, radiological, pathological, and mineralogical study was undertaken on 62 cases referred to the Medical Research Council Pneumoconiosis Unit by the Cardiff Pneumoconiosis Panel as Cornish china clay workers. Considerable pathological lesions were found in the lungs, both nodular and interstitial fibroses being present. Some men had worked with china stone but others had worked entirely with china clay. Nodular fibrosis appeared to be related to a high quartz content of the dust recovered from the lung, whereas among those with a high content of kaolinite dust in the lungs interstitial fibrosis was observed.