Which jobs are linked to a deadly lung disease? A new report looks at U.S. workers.

Imagine a disease that slowly scars your lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe, and doctors don't know exactly what causes it. That's idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A new report has taken a first look at which U.S. industries and jobs see deaths from this condition. It's a description of patterns, not a study of causes. The report didn't track individual workers over time or compare them to people in other jobs. It simply described where these tragic deaths are occurring. Because this is an observational report, it can't tell us if a specific job actually causes IPF. Many other factors, like genetics or other environmental exposures, could be at play. The findings are a starting point—a map showing where scientists might want to dig deeper to understand if workplace exposures are a piece of the IPF puzzle.