black lung
nounDefinition of black lung
: pneumoconiosis caused by habitual inhalation of coal dust
Examples of black lung in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Wilson, 63, said he has been diagnosed with black lung and has trouble sleeping at night because of fluid buildup in his lungs. — Washington Post, "Feds: Kentucky coal mine supervisors cheated on dust samples," 11 July 2018 Kenny Fleming, who was diagnosed with black lung disease three years ago, looks at an image of his lung. — Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, "CNN obtains report showing fund for coal miners with black lung is in trouble," 4 June 2018 Federal officials said black lung has caused roughly 78,000 deaths since the late 1960s and there has been a resurgence of it in recent years, especially in eastern Kentucky. — Fox News, "Jury awards $67M to ex-miners who used defective dust masks," 26 Apr. 2018 Overexposure to coal mine dust leads to black lung disease—inflammation and scarring of the lungs, which eventually leads to organ damage and failure, and premature death. — Greg Ip, WSJ, "A Costly, Deadly Obsession With Coal," 6 June 2018 Under Trump, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has also moved to reconsider rules meant to protect miners from breathing coal and rock dust — the primary cause of black lung — and diesel exhaust, which can cause cancer. — Carolyn Mcatee Cerbin, USA TODAY, "Coal industry documents show extent of effort to influence Trump on Paris accord, regulations," 6 June 2018 More than 76,000 miners have died of black lung since 1968. — Nicole Goodkind, Newsweek, "Trump Says He 'Saved Coal,' but Miner Deaths Nearly Doubled in His First Year," 27 Jan. 2018 Miners who breathe dusty air over a period of years are at risk of contracting pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. — Washington Post, "Feds: Kentucky coal mine supervisors cheated on dust samples," 11 July 2018 Because Murray’s company recently unsuccessfully sued to block a rule aimed at reducing miners' exposure to coal dust that causes black lung, a disease which killed as many as 10,000 people between 1995 and 2005. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Coal CEO’s defamation lawsuit against John Oliver is dismissed," 25 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black lung.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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