Black Lung Disease
Learn more about the description, diagnosis, and treatment of Black Lung Disease

Black lung disease is the common name for the disease officially known as coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) or anthracosis. This is a lung disease of older workers in the coal industry caused by inhalation of coal dust over a period of many years.

Causes and symptoms

Fine particles of coal dust accumulated within the lungs cause build-up in the lungs that eventually thicken and scar the lungs. This makes the lungs less efficient in supplying oxygen to the blood.

The disease’s primary symptom is shortness of breath, which gradually gets worse as the disease progresses. In severe cases, the patient might experience heart failure through developing cor pulmonale, an enlargement and strain of the right side of the heart caused by chronic lung disease.

Some patients develop a severe type of black lung disease called progressive massive fibrosis, in which damage continues in the upper parts of the lungs even after exposure to the dust has ended. Some patients develop emphysema (a disease in which the tiny air sacs in the lungs become damaged, leading to shortness of breath, and respiratory and heart failure) as a complication of black lung disease. Scientists aren't sure what causes this serious complication. Some think that it may be due to the breathing of a mixture of coal and silica dust that is found in certain mines. Silica is far more likely to lead to scarring than coal dust alone.

Diagnosis

Black lung disease is usually diagnosed by checking a patient’s history for coal dust exposure. A chest x-ray is also done to discover if the characteristic spots in the lungs caused by coal dust are present. A pulmonary function test may aid in diagnosis.
It is important to get an early diagnosis whenever possible, as x rays can detect black lung disease before it causes any symptoms. If exposure to the dust is stopped at that point, progression of the disease may be prevented.

Treatment

Although there is no treatment or cure for this condition, it is possible to treat complications such as lung infections and cor pulmonale. Further exposure to coal dust must be stopped in order for the patient to make a recovery or even improve.
Prognosis

Miners diagnosed with simple CWP can lead a normal life, but patients who develop black lung disease at an early age, or who have progressive massive fibrosis, have a higher risk of premature death.

Prevention

The only way to prevent black lung disease is to avoid long-term exposure to coal dust. Coal mines may help prevent the condition by lowering coal dust levels and providing protective clothes to coal miners.