How does coal dust affect the lungs?

How does coal dust affect the lungs?

Roy Artal (Pulmonologist and Critical Care Physician) gives expert video advice on: How does coal dust affect the lungs?; How is black lung disease prevented?; How common is black lung disease? and more...

Coal dust affects the lungs when it's inhaled and gets into the terminal portions of the lungs or the aveoli, where gas exchange takes place and that coal or that carbon triggers an inflammatory and an immune reaction in which a scar is formed around that particle of coal. If enough of the coal gets into the lungs and enough of the scarring and inflammatory response takes place, there's scarring and inflammation taking place throughout the lung and that ultimately has the ability to affect and impair one's ability to breathe.