• Silica dust
• Asbestos fibers
• Hard metal dusts
• Coal dust
• Grain dust
• Bird and animal droppings
Radiation treatments:
Some people who receive radiation therapy for lung or breast cancer show signs of lung damage months or sometimes years after the initial treatment. The severity of the damage may depend on:
• How much of the lung was exposed to radiation
• The total amount of radiation administered
• Whether chemotherapy also was used
• The presence of underlying lung disease
Medications:
Chemotherapy drugs: Drugs designed to kill cancer cells, such as methotrexate (Trexall, Otrexup, others) and cyclophosphamide, can also damage lung tissue.
Heart medications: Some drugs used to treat irregular heartbeats, such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Nexterone, Pacerone), may harm lung tissue.
Some antibiotics: Antibiotics such as nitrofurantoin (Macrobid, Macrodantin, others) or ethambutol can cause lung damage.
Anti-inflammatory drugs: Certain anti-inflammatory drugs such as rituximab (Rituxan) or sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) can cause lung damage.
Medical conditions:
• Dermatomyositis
• Polymyositis
• Mixed connective tissue disease
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sarcoidosis
• Scleroderma
• Pneumonia
Courtesy: Mayo Clinic
