배경: 주물공장 근로자에서 발생한 석면폐증의 작업 관련성을 평가하고 그 증례를 보고하고자 한다. 증례: 30년간 주물공장에서 근무한 환자로 인후통, 기침, 노란 가래가 있어 검사한 결과 결핵이 의심되어 치료하였으며, 치료 중 석면폐증으로 진단되었다. 작업 관련성 평가를 위해 실시한 폐 조직의 조직학적 검사에서 1 ㎠당 3개의 석면소체가 발견되었고, 투과전자현미경으로 분석한 석면 함유량은 23.26×10? fibers/g이었다. 결론: 작업환경조사, 폐 조직의 석면 분석 등을 통해 작업 관련성이 높다고 판단하였다.
Background: Foundry workers are known to be exposed to silica and have an increased risk of silicosis. There are also reports that state these foundry workers were associated with asbestos-related change in the X-ray results of the lungs. This report discusses a case of localized asbestosis developed in a foundry worker who worked in 12 Korean foundries. Case report: A 49-year-old man who worked at molding and melting for 30 years, presented with sore throat, cough and yellow sputum for 1 month. From physical and clinical examination, pulmonary tuberculosis was highly suspicious; therefore, he was medicated for 6 months. After tuberculosis medication, the radiological finding was reactivation of tuberculosis, and an asbestos body was detected at a transbronchial lung biopsy. During an operation, operators found multiple palpable masses and bullae localized in the right upper lobe (RUL) and performed right upper lobectomy and right middle lobe wedge resection. Using hematoxylin-eosin stain and iron stain, we could detect asbestos bodies by light microscopy. We analyzed the asbestos fiber burden in dry lung tissue by transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (TEM-EDX). The fiber type was chrysotile and the fiber burden was 23.26×10? fiber/g dry lung. Discussion: This case study of a foundry worker with localized asbestosis is uncommon in Korea. We found an occupational relationship between the foundry worker and localized asbestosis through various investigative techniques such as measurements taken at his working environment, clinical, radiological and pathological examination of the foundry worker and mineralogical examination of the asbestos fiber.