pulmonary disorders
Coal Worker Pneumoconiosis
Introduction
Coal worker pneumoconiosis results from the inhalation of dust generated by the drilling, blasting, or crushing of coal and by the equipment and processes used to extract coal. Exposures in coal mining are heterogenous, which contributes to a wide spectrum of disease in coal miners. The clinical manifestations of coal worker pneumoconiosis range from minimal symptoms to progressive massive fibrosis with impaired lung function. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchitis are common in coal miners. Diagnosis is based on history, chest x-ray findings, and pulmonary function test results. Treatment is generally supportive. (See also Overview of Environmental and Occupational Pulmonary Diseases .) Coal worker pneumoconiosis is a nodular Overview of Interstitial Lung Disease that results from exposure to coal mining dust. Coal worker pneumoconiosis can present as Simple pneumonoconiosis Complicated pneumonoconiosis, also known as progressive massive fibrosis Simple coal worker pneumoconiosis is characterized by upper lobe predominance of small rounded nodular opacities and typically is not associated with symptoms or pulmonary dysfunction. In complicated coal worker pneumoconiosis or progressive massive fibrosis, nodules coalesce to form larger parenchymal masses, usually in the upper posterior lung fields, and symptoms are prominent. Following the enactment of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act in 1969, there was a decline in coal worker pneumoconiosis in the United States. However, since the late 1990s there has been a resurgence of coal worker pneumoconiosis, especially severe progressive disease ( General reference ). This resurgence is most likely due to greater 