Chemical pneumonitis and acute lung injury caused by inhalation of nickel fumes

A 50-year-old man with a 30-year occupational history of welding presented with low-grade fever, fatigue and persistent dry cough. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed interlobular septal thickening and bilateral non-segmental patchy ground-glass opacities except in the sub-pleural zone. He revealed that he had inhaled nickel fumes 3 days previously at work. These findings suggested a diagnosis of pneumonitis induced by inhalation of nickel fumes. Fewer reports describe pneumonitis associated with the inhalation of nickel compared with zinc fumes. Although nickel compounds are particularly pernicious among the transition metals and more toxic than zinc compounds, nickel fume inhalation rarely induces lethal acute respiratory distress syndrome. Our patient was successfully treated with corticosteroid.