ABSTRACT
Occupational asthma induced by inhalation exposure to metals may have been first described by Georgius Agricola, who published ‘‘De Re Metallica’’ in 1556 (1). The author described the possible harmful effects of metallic dust as follows: ‘‘On the other hand, some mines are so dry that they are entirely devoid of water and this dryness causeth the workmen even greater harm, for the dust, which is stirred and beaten up by digging, penetrates into the windpipe and lungs and produces difficulty in breathing and the disease the Greeks call ‘asthma.’ ’’ Admittedly, this excerpt is more likely to pertain to mineworkers’ pneumoconiosis than to what would now be called asthma. Although many forms of pulmonary toxicity have been noted after exposure to metals, metalloids, and their respective oxides, salts, and coordination complexes, the occurrence of occupational asthma induced by these substances has only been recognized as a medical entity in the early part of the twentieth century. While the numerical contribution of metal-induced asthma to the overall prevalence of occupational asthma appears to be relatively small, the number of literature citations of these problems continues to increase each year. In addition, significant numbers of workers are exposed to these agents according to the NIOSH 1981-1983 National Exposure Survey (Table 1).
