Lymph node test for silicosis by activation analysis combined with spectrophometry

Abstract A combined neutron activation and spectrophotometric analysis was developed for the reproducible determination of silicon in extremly small (10–80 mg) inhomogeneous lymph node samples. By this procedure aluminium and phosphorus are also determined simultaneously with silicon. The investigations covered lymph nodes lying far from the lung of coal-miners suffering from silicosis, as well as different type of lymph nodes from persons who had met with violent death but could be considered free of silicosis. It was found that the silicon content of lymph nodes is significantly higher in miners with diagnosed silicosis than in persons not exposed routinely to silicon dust, and that in the latter the silicon concentration varies with age. The silicon content of the bifurcational lymph node was correlated with that of the angulus venosus node, thus the easier accessibility of the latter makes it more convenient for routine analysis in clinical practice.