ABSTRACT
The lungs represent a quick and direct avenue of entry for toxic materials into the body because of its intimate association with the circulatory system. The trachea divides into the right and left bronchi. Each bronchus enters the lung of its own side. The lungs are suspended within the thoracic cage by the trachea, by the arteries and veins running to and from the heart, and by pulmonary ligaments. Upon inhalation, arsine damages lungs and passes into the bloodstream where it causes hemolytic destruction of the red blood cells. The clinical conditions have been variously described as bird breeder’s lung, snuff lung, technician’s lung, and furrier’s lung. Pneumoconiosis is an occupational disease of the lungs caused by the accumulation of certain inorganic and organic dusts and the reaction of pulmonary tissue to the dusts. Silicosis is a pathological condition of the lungs resulting from the inhalation of particulate matter containing free silica.
