Serum protein changes in coal workers' pneumoconiosis.

Differences from the normal were found in the serum proteins of coal workers suffering from pneumoconiosis which were similar to those in subjects suffereing from bronchitis, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The differences consisted of decreased albumin and increased globulin contents, and decreased sulphydryl contents, and decreased sulphydryl contents in both albumin and globulin proteins. These differences caused a reduction in the number of protein sulphydryl groups in serum. In pnemoconiotic coal workers the amount of idsulphide-linked cysteine in albumin increased above the normal, the increase tending to depend on the severity of the pneumoconiosis. Apart from this correlation the above differences could not be used to diagnose the class of pneumoconiosis.