| pneumoconiosis of coal miners, caused by coal dust; anthracosis. |
| black lung n. Pneumoconiosis caused by the long-term inhalation of coal dust. Also called anthracosis. |
black lung n.
A form of pneumoconiosis common in coal miners, characterized by the deposit of carbon particles in the lungs.
| 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. |
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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