 the mineral pneumoconioses ( lung disease caused by inhalation of inorganic dust ) have been an important disease entity for centuries . in the last several decades 
 , the electron microscope has been used to elucidate the distribution and identification of inhaled minerals , to aid in establishing etiologic factors , and less commonly , to determine the basic biologic mechanisms through which inhaled minerals cause lung disease . in this section , 
 i review the instrumentation and tissue preparation currently used to address some modern problems in particle - induced lung disease . 
 for example , human pneumoconioses of undetermined etiology can be clarified by electron microscopy and x - ray energy spectrometry . 
 in addition , the initial deposition patterns of asbestos and silica are demonstrated in animal models , and the contributions of electron microscopy in establishing the initial lesions of asbestosis are described.imagesfigure 1.figure 2.figure 3.figure 4.figure 5.figure 6.figure 7.figure 8.figure 9.figure 9.figure 10.figure 11.figure 12.figure 13.figure 14 . 
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