This indicates that iron alone is enough to cause damage to the lungs.Symptoms usually appear after a number of years, but may rarely appear within a year.Eye exposure to iron dust can also cause another form of siderosis, "ocular siderosis" or "siderosis bulbi", which can cause eye discoloration, but also eye damage, like cataracts and night blindness. This happens via the corrosive effects of iron. Cause
Pulmonary siderosis is caused by repeated inhalation of fine iron or rust dust that happens usually over a number of years. This can happen during work consisting of welding, grinding, foundry work, paint manufacture or iron ore mining among other similar occupations where a person is exposed to fine iron dust or fumes. Diagnosis
Pulmonary siderosis causes changes within the lungs that are clearly visible in tissue samples, x-ray images and other radiological studies. In a tissue sample from alveoli patchy deposits of iron can be seen throughout the sample. Treatment
There is no cure for pulmonary siderosis or other interstitial lung diseases. Any damage is thus permanent. Symptoms can be treated. Prognosis
Outcome of pulmonary siderosis is often good if the inhalation of iron or rust dust is permanently avoided. However, welding has been associated with lung cancer, a condition which may have a poor outcome. Still, it is not known if pulmonary siderosis causes cancer in welders specifically or if these cases of cancer appear due to entirely different factors.
See also
Idiopathic pulmonary haemosiderosis - a disease caused by lung capillary bleeding
Hemosiderosis - accumulation of hemosiderin in body
Superficial siderosis - accumulation of hemosiderin in brain
Iron deficiency - also known as sideropenia
Iron overload - accumulation of iron in body from any cause
African iron overload

References


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