Objective: To study cytological changes in bronchial epithelium in miners who died in technogenic disasters to identify early prognostic signs of bronchopulmonary dust pathology as a factor in the prevention of pneumoconiosis. Methods. Cytological examination of smears-prints, wash water and immunohistochemical examination of smears of bronchial secretions in the aspect of early diagnosis of pneumoconiosis. The main attention is paid to the identification of general and specific elements in the structure of cell communities obtained by cytological research. Results. An early diagnostic method of research can be cytology, in which signs of developing pneumoconiosis of the process in the early preclinical stage is the detection in bronchial smears – prints, bronchoalveolar lavage of a sharp increase in the number, size and «loading» of dust particles in the cytoplasm of alveolar macrophages (the so-called «dust cells» or «coniophages»), the presence of dystrophy and flat epithelial metaplasia of the bronchial epithelium. A reliable indicator of pneumoconiosis is volumetric changes in miners using HAM-56 expression. Increased expression of the chromogen-positive material, as well as the maximum volume of macrophages, was a characteristic feature of coal workers. Conclusions. The obtained cytological data should be used for early screening of occupational bronchopulmonary pathology during medical examinations of miners and for more effective early prevention of pneumoconiosis.