Black Lung Disease Research Paper

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Pneumoconiosis is a general term given to any lung disease caused by dusts that are breathed in and then deposited deep in the lungs causing damage. Pneumoconiosis is usually considered an occupational lung disease, and includes asbestosis, silicosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as Black Lung Disease (www.lung.org). CWP develops in individuals, almost exclusively miners, who are exposed to mixed dust containing coal, silica, kaolin, and mica. Development of CWP generally requires at least 20 years of exposure and depends on various factors including concentration of coal dust, mine configuration, type of coal, mining methods, personal protective measures, and the proportion of other mineral dust contamination.Meyer,A.C …show more content…

Inhaling coal dust leads to black lung disease, which means that it is an occupational disease. Black lung disease comes in two types: simple (coal workers' pneumoconiosis) and complicated (progressive massive fibrosis). In either form, black lung disease is an interstitial lung condition. This means that an external substance causes inflammation in the air sacs inside the lungs. As the tissue develops scar tissue in response, the lung gradually gets less and less flexible, as stated by the American Lung Association. In many cases, it takes years for symptoms of black lung disease to appear; however, the coal dust eventually comes to rest inside the lung and makes the lung stiffen. As this process accelerates, it becomes harder to breathe. Even after the patient stops working in an environment with coal dust, the disease gets progressively worse. Potential complications include lung cancer, tuberculosis, respiratory failure and heart failure on the right side. As of 2015, there is no cure or treatment, according to the American Lung Association. SYMPTOMS OF BLACK LUNG

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