I just got over pleursy, and went back to work and they are painting in the basement of the building I am in, and the fumes are bad, I don't want to irritate my lungs anymore, having an autoimmune disease, (sjogrens syndrome) I dont know if I can return to work, any thoughts??
Yup. Bobby1973 is on the money. It is entirely possible to develop pneumonia from exposure to solvents.
When chemical fumes enter the respiratory tract, they irritate and inflame the lining cells. This is called pneumonitis. These damaged lining cells are also more prone to infection.
The paint fumes provokes a secretion from these cells, which may coalesce and get infected to result in pneumonia.
You should avoid similar exposure in future.