Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesTreatmentComplicationsWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Treatment
Complications
When to See a Provider
Black mucus is a dark-colored substance (also called “phlegm”) that forms in your lungs and throat and is expelled from your nose and mouth.
It is rare to have black mucus, and it may signal a serious underlying condition, such as tuberculosis or cancer. Your mucus can also become dark if you’ve been exposed to extreme air pollution.If you have developed black mucus, it’s best to contact a healthcare provider.
This article will discuss what causes black mucus and how these conditions are treated.
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What Your Mucus Says About Your Health
Symptoms of Black MucusBlack mucus is typically one symptom of a condition that usually includes other symptoms like a cough, fever,shortness of breath, or other respiratory problems.
Symptoms of Black Mucus
Black mucus is typically one symptom of a condition that usually includes other symptoms like a cough, fever,shortness of breath, or other respiratory problems.
Black Mucus Causes
Black mucus may also be calledmelanoptysis. It has a number of possible causes.
Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (Anthracosis)
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosisis a bacterial infection that affects the lungs. It can cause permanent lung damage and appear with symptoms like a cough that producesbloodor mucus. Other symptoms include chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Cancer
When cancer occurs in thelungs, it creates masses and destroys healthy tissue.Bronchopulmonary melanomais a type of cancer that affects the lungs and is known for producing dark or black mucus.
Necrosis
Fungal Infections
Many types of infections cause mucus production, but some are known more than others for producing darker-colored sputum. One of these isExophiala dermatitidis,ablack yeast infectionthat is common in people with cystic fibrosis.
Finally, mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection that causes black mucus and can lead to dark or black lesions on other body areas.
Substance Use
Using substances likecigarettescan cause black mucus from smoke particles and other debris that collects in the lung tissues. Coughing up black mucus is also strongly associated with chroniccocaine-inducedpulmonary injury.
Pollution
People who live in areas with dense air pollution or who work in certain industries may cough up dark black mucus. Like coal miners, people who live in highly polluted areas breathe in particles that can collect in the lung tissue and appear in mucus after a cough.
Breathing in smoke from a large fire can also make your mucus appear darker due to the particles in the smoke.
What Other Mucus Colors MeanHere’s what other mucus colors reveal about your health:Clear: Allergies or early stage of virusWhite: A cold or other infectionYellow: You are in the beginning stages of illness and your body is fighting a virusGreen: You likely feel very sick and your body is fighting a virusPink or red: Blood is in your nose from pregnancy, dryness, or injuryBrown: There is a dried blood in your mucus
What Other Mucus Colors Mean
Here’s what other mucus colors reveal about your health:Clear: Allergies or early stage of virusWhite: A cold or other infectionYellow: You are in the beginning stages of illness and your body is fighting a virusGreen: You likely feel very sick and your body is fighting a virusPink or red: Blood is in your nose from pregnancy, dryness, or injuryBrown: There is a dried blood in your mucus
Here’s what other mucus colors reveal about your health:
How Is Black Mucus Treated?
You may require antibiotics or antifungal medications if bacteria or fungi has caused your black mucus. Other causes of black mucus, like coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (anthracosis), are not as easily treated.
Examples of treatments for severe lung disease include:
Obstructive vs. Restrictive Lung Diseases: Causes and Treatment
Complications of Black Mucus
Exposure to pollution, irritants, or mold spores that you could inhale increases your risk for diseases that produce black mucus.
Some complications of diseases like black lung include:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Anytime you develop a cough that doesn’t resolve within a few weeks, it’s a good idea to see a healthcare provider to rule out serious diseases or infections. Mucus production is typical in many disorders, but black mucus can signal more severe illness. Seek medical care if your mucus appears black.
If you experience shortness of breath, chest pain, ora bluish tone to your lips or skin, seek medical attention immediately.
What Is a Pulmonologist?
Summary
Mucus is a mixture of fluids and bits of tissues expelled with a cough or when you blow your nose. There are many colors of mucus, but black mucus often signals severe disease or infection. Talk to your healthcare provider about your medical history and your risk factors for conditions like fungal infections, tuberculosis, or even black lung disease.
13 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: a look at what your mucus says about your health.Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667American Lung Association.Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).MedlinePlus.Pulmonary tuberculosis.Filippini A, Zorzi F, Bna’ C, Arnaboldi A, Sabatini T.Dark sputum: An atypical presentation of primary pulmonary malignant melanoma.Respir Med Case Rep. 2015;15:118-120. doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2015.03.011Mount Sinai.Necrosis.Cohen YZ, Stead W.Exophialapneumonia presenting with a cough productive of black sputum.Case Rep Infect Dis.2015;2015:821049. doi:10.1155/2015/821049Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of mucormycosis.Mechem CC.Pulmonary complications of cocaine use. King TE, Stolbach A, Dieffenbach P, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Aspergillosis basics.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About COPD.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumoconiosis.
13 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: a look at what your mucus says about your health.Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667American Lung Association.Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).MedlinePlus.Pulmonary tuberculosis.Filippini A, Zorzi F, Bna’ C, Arnaboldi A, Sabatini T.Dark sputum: An atypical presentation of primary pulmonary malignant melanoma.Respir Med Case Rep. 2015;15:118-120. doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2015.03.011Mount Sinai.Necrosis.Cohen YZ, Stead W.Exophialapneumonia presenting with a cough productive of black sputum.Case Rep Infect Dis.2015;2015:821049. doi:10.1155/2015/821049Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of mucormycosis.Mechem CC.Pulmonary complications of cocaine use. King TE, Stolbach A, Dieffenbach P, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Aspergillosis basics.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About COPD.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumoconiosis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: a look at what your mucus says about your health.Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667American Lung Association.Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).MedlinePlus.Pulmonary tuberculosis.Filippini A, Zorzi F, Bna’ C, Arnaboldi A, Sabatini T.Dark sputum: An atypical presentation of primary pulmonary malignant melanoma.Respir Med Case Rep. 2015;15:118-120. doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2015.03.011Mount Sinai.Necrosis.Cohen YZ, Stead W.Exophialapneumonia presenting with a cough productive of black sputum.Case Rep Infect Dis.2015;2015:821049. doi:10.1155/2015/821049Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of mucormycosis.Mechem CC.Pulmonary complications of cocaine use. King TE, Stolbach A, Dieffenbach P, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Aspergillosis basics.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About COPD.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumoconiosis.
Penn Medicine.Yuck! My snot is green: a look at what your mucus says about your health.
Martínez-Girón R, Mosquera-Martínez J, Martínez-Torre S.Black-pigmented sputum.J Cytol. 2013;30(4):274-275. doi:10.4103/0970-9371.126667
American Lung Association.Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (black lung disease).
MedlinePlus.Pulmonary tuberculosis.
Filippini A, Zorzi F, Bna’ C, Arnaboldi A, Sabatini T.Dark sputum: An atypical presentation of primary pulmonary malignant melanoma.Respir Med Case Rep. 2015;15:118-120. doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2015.03.011
Mount Sinai.Necrosis.
Cohen YZ, Stead W.Exophialapneumonia presenting with a cough productive of black sputum.Case Rep Infect Dis.2015;2015:821049. doi:10.1155/2015/821049
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of mucormycosis.
Mechem CC.Pulmonary complications of cocaine use. King TE, Stolbach A, Dieffenbach P, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Aspergillosis basics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About COPD.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Pneumoconiosis.
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