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What is pneumoconiosis?

Pneumoconiosis is a lung disease caused by breathing in certain dusts that damage your lungs and cause lung scarring.

Causes of pneumonoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis is usually caused by breathing in dusts at work. The longer you’re exposed to the dust, the higher your risk of developing pneumonoconiosis. There are different types of pneumoconiosis, depending on the type of dust. The most common is coal workers’ pneumoconiosis or black lung disease. ‘Brown lung’ is pneumonoconiosis caused by breathing in cotton dust. Pneumoconiosis can also be caused by aluminium, barium, beryllium, talc and other dusts.

Although silicosis and asbestosis are types of pneumoconiosis, they are treated as a separate pulmonary fibrosis conditions.

Symptoms of pneumoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis symptoms include a cough, feeling breathless and feeling tired. If you have coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, you may also cough up black mucus.

Treatments for pneumoconiosis

Although there is no cure for pneumoconiosis, pulmonary rehabilitation and oxygen therapy may help improve your quality of life. It’s important to stop smoking and to get your annual flu vaccination.

Ongoing treatment

Expect to meet your medical team for appointments to discuss how the disease is progressing. Together you will decide on your treatments.

Outlook for pneumoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis usually takes a long time to develop and gets worse slowly. But if you smoke or have smoked, the progression may be faster. Complications of pneumoconiosis include pulmonary hypertension, COPD and lung cancer. It used to be associated with Tuberculosis, but that is now rare.

Other forms of pulmonary fibrosis

Get support

Join a support group in your area

It’s important to remember that you are not alone. There are now over 90 pulmonary fibrosis support groups around the country.

Support groups meet informally to share experiences, provide expert information and raise funds and awareness. Find a group near you.

Call our support line

APF runs an email and telephone support line offering information and advice about living with PF. Find out more.

Find us on social media

We have an active and supportive online community ready to welcome you on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates, news and connections to our online community.

Watch videos of how other people cope day to day with PF.

Our website and resources provide general information only. We cannot provide medical advice, treatment or prescriptions, nor can we assess/decide what services or clinicians you should be referred to. Support with these matters will need to be provided by your existing healthcare professional teams.

APF is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for any loss or damage suffered by users resulting from the information published on our website or in our resources.

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