Characteristics of Dust Associated with the Development of Rapidly Progressive Pneumoconiosis and Progressive Massive Fibrosis

Research and surveillance reports have documented a significant increase in coal workers' pneumoconiosis, including the most severe forms of progressive massive fibrosis and rapidly progressive pneumoconiosis in U.S. coal miners, particularly those in Appalachian coalfields. Several possible explanations for these observations include excessive exposures to total respirable dust, increased exposure to freshly fractured silica and silicates, or greater exposure to smaller particles that may be the result of changing mining practices. This dataset contains the chemical and morphological characteristics of particulate matter retrieved from lung tissue slices of historical and contemporary miners.