I looked into Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis, more commonly
known as “Black Lung Disease”. Pneumoconiosis
is a general term used to describe any lung disease that is caused by the
inhalation of dust or debris. Coal
workers commonly have been exposed to this for hundreds of years simply due to
the nature of their work. While severity
can vary greatly due to levels of exposure and other factors, symptoms include
cough, chest tightness, shortness of breath, among many others. This disease is specifically called “Black Lung
Disease” because the inhaled coal often turns black the lungs of the workers
breathing it in. While numbers had been
on the decline, and OSHA regulations relating to coal workers are very strong, there
seems to be a resurgence in cases according to an August 2018 article.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/workforce/74654
Very interesting! I did mine on brown lung and they are very similar. In a way I can see why they refer to Pnemuconiosis as Black lung because of the coal workers have to deal with and the air turning black around them and then having to inhale that; does signify one having the possibility of having a black lung.
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