How to listen to your lungs

During my annual physical, I was talking with my doctor about environmental pollution in the workplace. He knew I worked in a dental laboratory and, after our conversation, I became concerned about the toxic elements to which technicians are exposed. While we pay an enormous amount of attention to infection control, environment pollution is often overlooked. 

The main pollutants in the laboratory are: airborne particles from grinding silica, a key ingredient in ceramic materials; aluminous oxide dust from sandblasting; and fumes from the burnout oven that are toxic and corrosive to lung tissue. 

Your lungs can take a lot of abuse, but constant exposure to pollutants can eventually destroy their ability to function properly. Typically, once symptoms of lung disease appear—starting with shortness of breath—it’s too late as most lung diseases are progressive, irreversible and incurable (although there are medications...