black lung

American  

noun

1. pneumoconiosis of coal miners, caused by coal dust; anthracosis.

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black lung British  

noun

1. another name for pneumoconiosis

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black lung Scientific  

1. 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.

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black lung Cultural  

1. A chronic disease of the lungs caused by inhaling coal dust over long periods. Common among coal miners, black lung is an example of an occupational disease.

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Etymology

Origin of black lung

First recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black lung

But the more recent phenomena associated with black lung and PMF—that the latter is showing up in younger men, and those with fewer years underground—is tracked to the improvement of mining technology and exhausted mines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

"They ain't worried about the coal miners. We're just a number to them," added Hairston, who is a black lung patient himself.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

The black lung screening program for coal miners was briefly killed off before an outcry led to a temporary reinstatement.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025

In Central Appalachia, an estimated one in five tenured coal miners has black lung disease.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 16, 2024

Some of the moms had no husbands, and some of the dads had black lung.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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