Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) in aluminium welders

Background: Respiratory exposure to aluminium dust can cause aluminosis, a rare but well described ILD with upper lobe fibrosis and peripheral emphysema. ILD associated with aluminium welding has rarely been reported; there are three case reports of probable aluminosis and one of “pulmonary granulomatosis” from the USA and one of desquamative interstitial pneumonia from the UK all presenting from 1978-1991. Methods: We report three recent cases from the UK of ILD in male aluminium welders, two of whom worked for the same company. Results: Conclusions: Little is reported about the constituents, and respiratory effects, of aluminium welding fumes. The number of people exposed to aluminium fumes is unknown but the reporting of associated ILD is extremely rare. We report three recent cases of ILD in aluminium welders, two of whom were from the same company, suggesting that a causal link is plausible and that, in these cases, the exposures may have been particularly high. Further work is underway to determine if other co-workers may be affected.