A FORMER Queensland coal miner has been diagnosed with coal workers' pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung disease.

A spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources and Mines confirmed the 39-year-old worked in a number of mines in the Bowen Basin over an 11-year period.

He is not currently employed in the industry.

The diagnos comes after a 62-year-old underground coal miner who works in the Bowen Basin was confirmed to have the disease last week.

Queensland's mining companies are offering for workers to have new x-rays taken and to have existing x-rays re-read.

It is expected, as stated earlier this year, that further cases will be identified from this extra activity and as miners respond to the focus on coal workers' pneumoconiosis. 

A confirmed case is where a coal mine worker's Nominated Medical Advisor or other medical expert reports a positive identification of coal worker's pneumoconiosis to the Department of Natural Resources and Mines' Health Surveillance Unit.

The Queensland Government is progressing its five-point action plan to address the re-emergence of CWP as outlined here.

Coal mining in Qld:

•  54 coal mines in Queensland in 2013-14, of which 41 were open cut and 13 underground.
•  About 5000 underground coal miners in Queensland at the end of 2015.
•  The vast majority of coal is coking and thermal coal.