Another name for black lung is coal workers' pneumoconiosis which is caused by inhaling coal mine dust.
One of the most common forms is black lung disease, also known as miner's lung.
Black lung disease is caused by breathing in coal dust.
Another is brown lung, which comes from working around dust from cotton or other fibers.
Other types of dusts that can cause pneumoconiosis include silica and asbestos.
Among people who work in coal mines, black lung disease is somewhat common.
Even after decades of knowing that coal mine dust can cause disease, black lung disease still affects about 16% of coal workers.
There is no treatment that can reverse the damage done by coal dust, but certain steps can help slow down progression of the disease, relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
Once the severity of exposure has been determined, your doctor can determine the best course of action.
Medicare asks about black lung because if a Medicare eligible patient has an illness or injury that is not related to the black lung then the patient may submit a claim to Medicare.
However Medicare does not pay for any services that are covered under the Federal Black Lung Program.
Medicare and many other insurance carriers have a “workers' compensation exclusion clause.”
This means that they will not pay for treatment of occupational disease, like Black Lung disease, if a patient has medical coverage under a workers' compensation program or the Federal Black Lung Program.