A 65 year old woman with a history of occupational talc inhalation presented with hypoxaemia, cough, and dyspnoea with a normal chest radiograph. Bronchoalveolar lavage showed considerable lymphocytosis, with a predominance of T8+ T lymphocytes, and open lung biopsy showed peribronchiolar granulomas containing talc crystals. Corticosteroid treatment resulted in dramatic improvement. Bronchoalveolar lavage may aid in the diagnosis of talc related lung injury.