One of the most common statements I make to patients is that “we were born to breath air” anything other than that can potentially cause problems. I suppose this statement is all well and good if we could control all of our environment, but we can’t.
When patients are present with certain types of lung disease it is not only important to consider what diseases they may have but also consider what they have been exposed to in their work or home environment. One category of lung diseases is caused by the inhalation of what are referred to as inorganic dusts meaning they are not derived from living organism. These types of exposures include silica dust, coal dust and asbestosis. There are many other inorganic dusts which can cause harm most of which are associated with industry and can usually be identified.
There is another category of dusts call organic dusts. These are compounds that are derived from living organisms. This category of dust includes a long list of compounds which are not so easily identified. The problem here is that most of the time the best treatment is avoidance. Many patients can be exposed to unseen or unsuspected organic dust for long periods of time and do not come for help until they have significant symptoms such as cough and shortness of breath. Many of these patients can develop scarring of the lung tissue that is irreversible.
If you have persistence, unexplained cough or shortness of breath, seek attention.
