Definition of Coal worker's pneumoconiosis:

Coal worker's pneumoconiosis is a lung disease that results from breathing in dust from coal, graphite, or man-made carbon over a long period of time.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Coal worker's pneumoconiosis occurs in two forms: simple and complicated (progressive massive fibrosis, or PMF).

Your risk of developing the disease depends on how long you have been around the coal dust. Most people with this disease are older than 50. Smoking does not increase your risk of developing this disease, but it may have an additional harmful effect on the lungs.

If complicated coal worker's pneumoconiosis occurs along with rheumatoid arthritis, it is called Caplan syndrome.