The cost effectiveness of occupational health interventions: prevention of silicosis.

Background: The failure to recognize occupational health as an economic phenomenon limits the effectiveness of interventions ostensibly designed to prevent disease and injury. Hence, consideration of economic efficiency is essential in the evaluations of interventions to reduce hazardous working conditions. In this paper, we present an analysis of the cost effectiveness of alternative means of preventing silicosis.

Can we still miss tetrachloroethylene-induced lung disease? The emperor returns in new clothes.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a complex syndrome of varying intensity and clinical presentation, and has been described in association with numerous exposures. Early diagnosis is essential to limit irreversible lung damage. We describe a case of HP in a 42-year-old dry cleaner following occupational exposure to tetrachloroethylene (TCE).