What is black lung disease?

Black lung disease, also known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, is a condition caused when people breathe in coal dust. After the coal dust is breathed in, particles settle into the person’s airways and lungs. Around 1 in 14 coal miners are affected by the disease, some of whom developed it after using a 3M dust mask. 

After the coal dust is breathed in, a person’s immune system tries to get rid of the particles, causing inflammation. This inflammation can then cause scar tissue to develop over time. The scar tissue that develops is known as fibrosis.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of cases of black lung disease. Reportedly, more than 76,000 miners have died of black lung disease since 1968, and a rollback of some safety regulations could make the problem worse.

Some blame ineffective safety equipment. Recently, some coal workers have claimed that defective 3M dust masks caused them to develop black lung disease.

How does black lung disease progress?

A person may not know that they are breathing in coal dust, because the particles are so small. The disease develops gradually and gets worse the longer a person is exposed to coal dust, or if they are exposed to a larger amount of coal dust, according to WebMD.  

In it early stages, black lung disease is known as “simple” coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. In the simple form of the disease, a patient has some spots of scar tissue from dust particles.

More severe versions of the disease are known as “complicated” coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. The more severe form of the disease is also known as progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) and is characterized when the small spots of scar tissue form into larger sections of scar tissue.

What are the symptoms of black lung disease?

Symptoms of black lung disease include a cough, that can occur with or without the production of black sputum. Some people with black lung disease may also experience shortness of breath or chest tightness.

It may take many years for symptoms to develop, and some coal workers may not experience symptoms of the condition until they retire.

Is black lung disease common?

Research suggests that as much as 16 percent of coal miners in the United States may develop black lung disease.

Because of regulations and the availability of safety equipment, the disease was largely eradicated. However, in recent year there has been an uptick in the number of black lung cases in the U.S. and around the world. Some wonder if coal companies may be getting lax about safety regulations.

Other people wonder if the increase in the number of black lung disease cases may be due to problems with the safety equipment used to prevent it. Companies like 3M make dust masks or respirators that are intended to prevent coal workers from breathing in coal dust, thereby preventing them from developing black lung disease.

Though black lung disease is not curable, it is largely preventable with effective safety equipment. However, if safety equipment is defective, then coal workers can be left exposed to dangerous dust.

Some coal miners claim that 3M dust masks were defective, and caused them to develop the disease. Multiple coal miners have taken legal action against 3M over the dust masks, and have received verdicts from juries that find 3M at least partly liable for their development of the disease. 

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.