Identification of inclusions in lung tissue with a Raman microprobe

Inhaled particles smaller than 4 μm can cause damage to lung tissue, a disease called silicosis. We present an investigation on the use of a Raman microspectrometer for the identification of inclusions in lung tissue. We measured Raman spectra of such inclusions in lung tissue of a patient whose probable cause of death was silicosis. Most of the inclusions we could identify were calcite particles.