Black lung disease, or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, is a condition that individuals can contract after being exposed to large amounts of silica and carbon dust. All coal miner’s are repeatedly exposed to the silica and carbon dust from their occupation placing them in danger of developing this disease. The beginning symptoms of black lung disease include chronic coughing for extended periods of time, chest pain and shortness of breath. The beginning symptoms can just be a chronic cough and it can stay that way for years. An asymptomic individual can continue living a normal life and possess the ability to continue working. If the disease continues to create worsening of symptoms, supplemental oxygen or an asthma type inhaler can be used. This...

Black lung disease, also known as coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, is a chronic occupational lung disease. This condition occurs when a person inhales coal dust, graphite, or man-made carbon for prolonged periods. A miner who is over the age of 50 and has been exposed to coal dust for 25 or more years is at the highest risk of developing black lung disease. Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis is often asymptomatic in its early stages, as it progresses a chronic cough and shortness of breath develops. Black lung disease has two classifications based on severity; simple coal worker’s pneumoconiosis and complicated coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, also called progressive massive fibrosis. Prolonged inhalation of large amounts of coal dust causes an accumulation of...

Black lung disease is a horrible medical affliction and preventable occupational hazard. It is caused by extensive, unhealthy exposure to coal dust over long periods of time. The fine coal dust is inhaled by a worker and, because of gravity and suction, it lodges in the membranes of the worker’s lungs. Alveoli are the smallest air chambers in the human lung. They enable the exchange of oxygen from the air into the blood and allow poisonous carbon dioxide to be exhaled and dispersed. When the alveoli are clogged with contaminating particles such as coal dust, efficient oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange cannot take place. The affected worker cannot breath as nature designed. The process takes time. Repeated exposure builds up a layer of dust within the most...

Black lung disease, which is also known as (CWP) coal workers pneumoconiosis is a common disease that is associated with coal miners and others who work in this field who are exposed to coal dust for long periods of time. As coal miners inhale the coal dust it begins to build up in the lungs and if exposure continues can develop into inflammation with progression of fibrosis and eventually necrosis. Coal dust that is inhaled into the lungs remains there as the lungs cannot remove or destroy this dust. The dust gets into the connective tissue of the lungs or the pulmonary lymph nodes and appears as black areas. Not only can this cause inflammation, it can also produce nodular lesions inside of lungs. If these lesions become necrotic because of lack of oxygen,...

Digging for coal has been a part of history and was the main source for the locomotives. However, unknowingly the European miners in the 17th and 18th centuries began having medical problems like black spittle, coughing and breathlessness. In 1822, doctors could not figure out why the miners were coughing and out of breath. They thought it was a kind of asthma and it became known as miners asthma. Later they thought that it was the silicone in the coal that was causing the medical problems. In 1831 a Scottish gentleman got sick and they used the term black lung only to describe what his lungs looked like. In 1942 black lung disease became known as Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP). British investigators called it pneumoconiosis for the first time to...

Black Lung Disease or CWP which stands for Coal Worker Pneumoconiosis is a lung disease caused by working in a coal mine for an extended length of time. The silica and carbon that is present in coal dust is the primary cause of the condition. To mine coal, workers must bring the coal to the surface by the use of heavy equipment, drilling holes for explosives or setting the explosives all of which produce large amounts of debris and dust. The coal dust is then breathed into the lungs and trapped there since the body is unable to clear away since it has no escape it begins to build up within the lungs, causing inflammation, fibrosis and possibly necrosis which is cell death also may s sometimes result in COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Many mine...

Black lung disease which is also known as pneumoconiosis, and silicosis, is most often associated with coal miners breathing in coal dust over a very extended period of time. There are two types of black lung disease. The first is known as simple (C.W.P.) or coal workers pneumoconiosis. The second is known as complicated or progressive massive fibrosis ( P.M.F.) For (C.W.P.), there is usually no symptoms or reduction in quality of life and could very well never progress to (P.M.F.) A cough and some mucus may develop, but this may be more dust-induced bronchitis. If (P.M.F.) develops, symptoms will include coughing, increased mucus, shortness of breath and airway obstruction. The severity will depend on the type of coal mine and the level of dust conditions...

Black lung disease is categorized into two forms: simple or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) and complicated or progressive massive fibrosis (PMF). Black lung disease is a layman term for any lung disease that develops from someone inhaling coal dust. Many started calling pneumoconiosis black lung disease because it literally turns the normally pink lungs black. As the person works in the coal mine, mining and milling graphite, trimming coal, manufacturing carbon electrodes, etc.. they inhale and accumulate coal dust, which causes coal worker’s pneumoconiosis. The reaction is not usually immediate. Because the disease is a reaction to the accumulation of the dust, it may appear after the exposure has stopped or get worse as you are...

Coal mining is an important industry to many counties, as they depend on it for energy. It has been used to produce electricity since the 1880′s. The cement industry uses it to make cement and the steel industry uses coal for fuel to extract iron from iron ore. With the advancements in technology, the mining of coal is more productive than ever before. Many jobs in the coal mining industry require highly educated personal that are trained in complicated equipment and instruments as well as computers, since much of today’s mining equipment is computerized. Safely is a major concern with coal mining and with modern safety equipment like air quality monitors, coal mining has become less dangerous than prior years. With modern equipment, jobs are...

Black Lung Disease is an affliction common to miners. The medical name is Coal Workers’ pneumoconiosis. The name Black Lung Disease refers to the black color of the lungs of those afflicted with the condition. There are two forms of the disease: simple, Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP) and, complicated; Progressive Massive Fibrosis (PMF) CVP begins with the inhalation and accumulation of coal dust in the lungs. It can also be caused by graphite or carbon dust. Quality of life is not affected. A mild cough and some sputum (mucus) may be the only symptoms. As exposure continues and PMF begins to develop, symptoms will be come more pronounced. Along with the cough and sputum there will be shortness of breath and moderate to severe obstruction of...