black lung
black lung
1905–10
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
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black lung n.
A form of pneumoconiosis common in coal miners, characterized by the deposit of carbon particles in the lungs.
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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| black lung
An occupational disease of coal miners caused by the long-term inhalation of coal dust, characterized by the presence of coal around the bronchioles on x-ray images. Most patients develop no symptoms, but a few advance to progressive obstruction of the airways and destruction of lung tissue with accompanying shortness of breath and eventual respiratory disability. |
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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black lung definition
A chronic disease of the lungs caused by inhaling coal dust over long periods. Common among coal miners, black lung is an examle of an occupational disease.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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black lung
respiratory disorder, a type of pneumoconiosis caused by repeated inhalation of coal dust over a period of years. The disease gets its name from a distinctive blue-black marbling of the lung caused by accumulation of the dust. Georgius Agricola, a German mineralogist, first described lung disease in coal miners in the 16th century, and it is now widely recognized. It may be the best known occupational illness in the United States.
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