Appalachia's black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners' protections stall
New research from NIOSH reveals that coal miners in central Appalachia are experiencing the highest rates of black lung disease in nearly 50 years. The study indicates that even miners with shorter tenures are facing increased risks, highlighting a significant failure in current occupational safety protections.
Why it matters
This data suggests a major public health crisis in the mining industry, indicating that existing safety regulations are failing to protect workers from fatal, preventable respiratory diseases.
Respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman doesn't need a research study to confirm for her a return to the dark days of coal mining. She finds evidence in a stack of more than 150 funeral programs, all for former patients at her pulmonary rehabilitation clinic in Norton, Virginia.
"Each one of these represents a life that's gone because of black lung," Freeman explained as she flipped through the programs, recognizing names and images.
Science Thousands of U.S. countertop workers could have damaged lungs, safety expert says "These are husbands. These are brothers. … These men were just hardworking men, and the only thing they did was go to work and provide for their families. And it cost them everything. … This is the aftermath of black lung."
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