Causes Of Pneumoconioses

Coal Mine Dust

Coal miners have such a high risk of developing pneumoconioses that one form of the disease is named after them. Coal workers' pneumoconiosis is sometimes called black lung disease because coal dust darkens the lung tissue over time. When coal mine dust is inhaled, it stays in the lungs because the body cannot get rid of it. The immune system tries to fight the coal particles that lodge in the lung tissue, but the particles are too large. The immune cells stay in the lungs, causing chronic inflammation as if there is a persistent infection. The damage from this process somewhat resembles the lung deterioration that smoking cigarettes can cause. The early stage of coal workers' pneumoconiosis is called anthracosis; the root 'anthrac' means 'coal.' This version of the disease is mild and is actually not uncommon among individuals who live in polluted big cities. In coal miners, however, the anthracosis often develops into a deadly form of pneumoconiosis called progressive massive fibrosis. This kills more than twenty thousand individuals every year.

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