Miners are at risk of developing which occupational lung disease?

• A. Asbestosis
• B. Silicosis
• C. Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis
• D. Bronchitis

Answer: (B)

Exposure to silica-containing dust in mining is a classic setup for silicosis. Crystalline silica is highly fibrogenic: when inhaled, it is ingested by lung macrophages, which become activated and release inflammatory mediators. This leads to chronic inflammation and fibroblast proliferation, producing nodular fibrosis that commonly affects the upper lobes. Over years of exposure, these nodules can merge into progressive massive fibrosis, and silica exposure also raises TB risk due to impaired macrophage function. That combination—long-term inhalation of silica dust common in mining—makes silicosis the most characteristic occupational lung disease for miners.

Asbestosis requires asbestos exposure, which isn’t a defining exposure in most mining contexts. Bronchitis is inflammatory rather than a fibrotic pneumoconiosis. Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis is also a dust-related lung disease from coal dust, but the question highlights silica exposure as the typical miner’s risk, which is why silicosis is the best answer.