pneumoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis is lung disease caused by breathing in mineral dust over many years, usually at work. The lungs can clear small amounts of dust, but when the load is too great for too long, particles lodge deep in the tissue and provoke chronic inflammation and scarring. In effect, the lung's cleaning system is overwhelmed by what a person inhales day after day.

Different dusts cause different diseases. Silica dust from mining, quarrying, sandblasting, and stone-cutting causes silicosis; coal dust causes coal worker's pneumoconiosis; and asbestos fibers cause asbestosis. Each tends to produce a characteristic pattern of nodules or fibrosis on imaging, often reflecting the specific dust and the level of exposure.

Symptoms usually develop slowly and may include cough and progressive breathlessness, sometimes appearing years or even decades after exposure has ended. Some forms, especially silicosis, also raise the risk of tuberculosis, and asbestos exposure carries a long-term risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.

There is no cure that reverses the scarring, so prevention through dust control, ventilation, and protective equipment is paramount. Care focuses on stopping further exposure, screening for complications, treating symptoms, and supporting function with oxygen and pulmonary rehabilitation when needed.