Study says black lung at historically high levels

Sep 15 - Dave Boucher Charleston Daily Mail, W.Va.

 

Coal miners in West Virginia and other parts of Appalachia are suffering from black lung at some of the highest rates in decades, according to new information released by federal health officials.

The prevalence of "progressive massive fibrosis," a debilitating and lethal form of black lung, is at its highest rate since the early 1970s for West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, according to new research. Experts with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a department under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, summarized their study in a letter published today in a scientific journal.

"Excessive inhalation of coal mine dust is the sole cause of (progressive massive fibrosis) in working coal miners, so this increase can only be the result of overexposures and/or increased toxicity stemming from changes in dust composition," the study states.

From 1974 to 2012, researchers tracked the prevalence of black lung in miners with 25 years or more of experience in underground mining. Miners who reported suffering from the disease dropped as low as a third of 1 percent in the late 1990s. In the last 15 years, though, the number of cases continue to increase, affecting 3.23 percent of veteran workers by 2012.

"Each of these cases is a tragedy and represents a failure among all those responsible for preventing this severe disease," the letter to the journal states.

After years of debate, federal officials in April revealed stricter standards for the amount of coal dust allowed in the air in mines. The rule calls for a 25 percent decrease in the amount of dust allowed in the air over the next two years.

While federal labor and health officials, along with U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, championed the change, the National Mining Association and coal giant Murray Energy Corp. blasted the rule as a "drastic" attack on the industry.

West Virginia received about $1.2 million in federal funding for state-run black lung health clinics earlier this year, compared to $1.4 million last year. The state's 18 clinics served about 8,500 coal miners last year, and state health officials believe the number of miners seeking health services at the clinics could increase this year.

This is a developing story. Check www.charlestondailymail.com throughout the day as more information becomes available.

Contact writer Dave Boucher at 304-348-4843 or david.boucher@dailymailwv.com. Follow him at www.Twitter.com/Dave_Boucher1.

www.charlestondailymail.com

http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=33677870&