black lung

noun

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

noun

1. another name for pneumoconiosis

n.

1. A form of pneumoconiosis common in coal miners, characterized by the deposit of carbon particles in the lungs.

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.