Much of Occupational Hygiene is about airborne contaminants and their effect on the lungs or as a portal to the body. We concentrate on measuring and controlling the hazard, industrial ventilation and respiratory protection.
However, before the services of an occupational hygienist are requested, much of the damage has often occurred, particulatly with agents like asbestos. Lung transplants are possible, but the possibility of growing new lungs exists, with complete tissue compatibility. There is a glimmer of light with advances in tissue engineering with the use of a rat lung as the scaffold for lung cells from another animal with the work of Elizabeth Calle and her colleagues at Yale to produce functioning lungs.
Calle, E. A., T. H. Petersen, et al. “Procedure for Lung Engineering.” J Vis Exp(49): e2651.
JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments also has a video of the experiment.
