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Coal worker's pneumoconiosis

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Definition:

Coal worker's pneumoconiosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in dust from coal, graphite, or man-made carbon for a long time.

Alternative Names:

Black lung disease; Pneumoconiosis; Anthrosilicosis

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Coal worker's pneumoconiosis occurs in 2 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 coal worker's pneumoconiosis occurs along with rheumatoid arthritis , it is called Caplan syndrome .

References:

Mason RJ, Murray J, VC Broaddus, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine . 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2005:1758-1763.

Noble J. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine . 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2001:694-697.

• Review Date: 3/16/2007
• Reviewed By: David A. Kaufman, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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