Detection of asbestos in thoracic lymph nodes in patients with asbestosis

To detect a possible lymph transport of inhaled asbestos fibres and fragments from the human lung we examined via light and scanning electron microscope a total of 224 intrapulmonary, extrapulmonary and paratracheal lymph nodes of 6 postmortem cases and 3 lung resectates from patients with histologically proven pulmonary asbestosis. The lymph nodes were subdivided into 3 groups and examined separately. We found partly sharp-edged staff-shaped and partly amorphous dust particles that were mostly embedded in phagolysosomes of macrophages, using energy-dispersive x-ray microanalysis; these particles yielded a spectrum like that of asbestos, which means they must be identified as asbestos fragments. Besides these, typical asbestos bodies and asbestos needles were also identified.