False-colour scanning electron micrograph of a macrophage impaled on an asbestos needle: this specimen was taken from a person suffering from asbestosis, a lung disease (a form of pneumoconiosis) caused by inhalation of asbestos fibres. Ordinarily, small particles in lung would be engulfed (phagocytosed) by the macrophage (a mobile scavenger cell): asbestos needles are virtually indestructible & puncture the macrophages, destroying them & releasing their contents onto surrounding lung tissue. This process is linked to development of mesothelioma ,lung cancer,a disease associated with asbestosis. Magnification: x1000 at 35mm, x2200 at 6x7cm size.