black lung

noun

: pneumoconiosis caused by habitual inhalation of coal dust

Examples of black lung in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But today, in Appalachia, miners are suffering from black lung at increasingly younger ages. David Morgan, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2023 In the years that followed, judges cited Chevron in upholding rules that protect endangered species, speed up the approval process for new cellphone towers and grant benefits to coal miners suffering from black lung. Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 22 Sep. 2023 In the Upper Big Branch mine, 71% of the 24 miners who received autopsies were found to have black lung. Leah Willingham and Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2023 Mental health became part of the block funded with black lung disease, rodent control, and blood pressure reduction programs. Phyllis Vine, STAT, 21 Nov. 2023 Roughly one in five miners in the Central Appalachia coalfields of West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia now have black lung disease, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Kris Maher, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2023 The bill is modeled after a compensation program for coal miners disabled by black lung disease, under the provisions of a 1969 law, Vasquez said. Morgan Lee, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2023 Her husband John was diagnosed with black lung about a decade ago at 47. Leah Willingham and Matthew Daly, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2023 Manchin has repeatedly introduced bills to extend the excise tax by ten years, alongside other Democratic senators who represent states with large populations of former miners with black lung disease. Grace Segers, The New Republic, 19 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'black lung.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black lung was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near black lung

Cite this Entry

“Black lung.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20lung. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

black lung

noun
: a disease of the lungs caused by the repeated breathing in of coal dust over a long time

called also black lung disease

Medical Definition

black lung

noun
: pneumoconiosis caused by habitual inhalation of coal dust

called also black lung disease

compare silicosis

More from Merriam-Webster on black lung

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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