Certified Safety Professional Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The correct answer is that coal mine dust inhalation is specifically associated with coal worker's pneumoconiosis (often referred to as black lung disease), but pneumoconiosis more broadly encompasses a range of lung diseases caused by inhaling various types of dust, including coal dust.

Pneumoconiosis is a general term for lung diseases that result from the inhalation of inorganic dust, leading to lung inflammation and fibrosis. This classification includes several specific types of diseases based on the type of dust inhaled, such as coal dust, asbestos, and silica. Since coal mine dust is a type of mineral dust, it results in pneumoconiosis.

However, it is important to note that coal worker's pneumoconiosis is the specific condition directly caused by prolonged exposure to coal mine dust, with distinctive pathological and clinical features. Understanding that pneumoconiosis serves as an umbrella term allows you to recognize how specific diseases, such as coal worker's pneumoconiosis, fit within this broader context of lung diseases caused by occupational dust exposure.