Some pleural effusions labeled as idiopathic could be produced by the inhalation of silica

Abstract

Exposure to silica nanoparticles has been associated with pleural effusions (PEs) in animal models and case series. We hypothesized that some PEs labelled as “idiopathic” could, in fact, be secondary to inhalation of silica.

Keywords

• idiopathic pleural effusion
• occupational disease
• pleural effusion
• silica nanoparticles