Baritosis

Baritosis is a lung disease belonging to the group of pneumoconiosis. Develops due to inhalation of fine dust containing barium salts.

With baritosis, particles of barium dust accumulate in the lung tissue, which leads to the appearance of focal shadows on radiographs. However, this disease is usually asymptomatic and does not cause dysfunction of the respiratory system.

Risk group occupations include workers in enterprises for the extraction and processing of barites, and the production of barium paints and enamels. To prevent baritosis, measures are required to reduce dust levels in the workplace and the use of personal respiratory protection equipment. If symptoms appear, examination by a pulmonologist and chest x-ray are recommended.

Baritosis

Baritosis is a type of pneumoconiosis. The cause is inhalation of barium dust, which contains eosinophilic amorphous granular material. It consists of crystals of barium phosphate, which is a radiopaque substance. These crystals are called "barium", which is why the disease itself is called "barium pneumoconiosis".

Symptoms

The first symptoms will appear 5-10 years after starting work, but may appear later or not appear at all. Main signs: feeling tired, cough, shortness of breath, weight loss, chest pain, hemoptysis. Men more often experience swelling in the vocal cords, irritation in the larynx and bronchi, and a nonproductive cough. An infiltrate or “coffee bean sign” is visible in the lungs on x-ray. Sometimes there may be pulmonary edema.

Patients often do not seek medical help because they believe that it is just fatigue, so the disease is diagnosed late, when it is already difficult to treat. Often doctors decide to treat respiratory failure, although this is not justified, since the cause of this condition is the barium itself. Over the years, the disease progresses, and complications appear: pulmonary embolism, pneumonia and acute pulmonary failure. The mortality rate for this disease reaches 20%.

Baritosis should be treated before symptoms develop, to avoid complications, and before fibrotic changes in the lungs. Patients are recommended to limit contact with barium microparticles (before the onset of symptoms), protect the respiratory tract and surgical prevention of tuberculosis. Surgical prophylaxis is intended to prevent kinks of large vessels in the pleural cavities, which cause severe hypotension of the lungs and worsening shortness of breath in the future. It is important to review dust control measures for barium production workers.

Conclusion In conclusion, ba

Barite is a white substance with a crystalline structure that has magnetic properties but does not exhibit radioactivity. In international practice, an abbreviated name is used to indicate the source of raw materials. In some countries, barite is called tartar, which is due to the special structure of this substance. Barite is used in the chemical industry, medicine, and is also used for coloring chalk and gypsum. Barite dust was first obtained in a laboratory in the middle of the 18th century. With a content of 20% heavy metal salts, the composition was considered critical