Black Lung Levels Highest Since 1970s

[Luddly Neddite]

Black Lung Disease Rates Skyrocket To Highest Levels Since 1970s

The proportion of coal miners who suffer from an advanced form of black lung disease has skyrocketed in central Appalachia in recent years, according to experts with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

In a letter published Monday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the NIOSH scientists wrote that the prevalence of progressive massive fibrosis, or PMF, a particularly lethal form of black lung, had reached its highest rate since the 1970s in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.

"Each of these cases is a tragedy and represents a failure among all those responsible for preventing this severe disease," wrote David J. Blackley and Cara N. Halldin, officials with NIOSH, a branch of the Centers for Disease Control.

...
As it grapples with a resurgence of black lung in many areas, the Labor Department recently announced it is updating and tightening its black lung regulations for the mining industry. Most notably, the reforms will lower a mine's allowable level of coal dust from 2.0 milligrams per cubic meter of air to 1.5, a move meant to force operators to better ventilate their mines.

The rule changes will also overhaul how operators must monitor their dust levels. Under the new regulations, miners will be equipped with a personal dust monitor that provides real-time readings of a mine's coal dust level. Under the old system, miners wore personal dust pumps that sampled the air and were then sent to regulators for analysis.

For years and years, coal operators have been able to game the system by submitting fraudulent dust samples to regulators, making the air seem less dangerous than it really is. The new dust monitors will likely make it harder for companies to mislead regulators. But as one industry observer recently told HuffPost, so long as companies are tasked with monitoring themselves, "there will always be ways to cheat."

Photo from about 1912. What has changed for these people? Why do we turn our backs on them? RWs say we should let these companies get away with killing them slowly but when it comes time to help them with health care, those same RWs say no.

Why aren't we ALL fighting a 'war against coal'?

 

[Mr. H.]

Some of those quotes from "RW"s would be appreciated.

You'd think in this day and age they'd wear respirators. My guess is that most do.

 

[Mr. H.]

Intewesting...

The simple answer: these men and miners across the country are exposed to levels of respirable coal and silica dust that cause disease, BUT under current worker safety regulations, these hazardous levels are LEGAL. Mine operators have been allowed for decades to expose workers to deadly levels of respirable dust that the public health community predicted would causerespiratory diseases, including coal workers’ pneumoconiosis.

Why US coal miners are still developing black lung disease 8211 The Pump Handle

 

[Yarddog]

Some of those quotes from "RW"s would be appreciated.

You'd think in this day and age they'd wear respirators. My guess is that most do.

wel yeah, they used to weld without respirators too. I guarantee that welding with fluxcore or stick welding is just as bad as breathing in a coalmine tunnel if you dont have a respirator.

 

[Yarddog]

Intewesting...

The simple answer: these men and miners across the country are exposed to levels of respirable coal and silica dust that cause disease, BUT under current worker safety regulations, these hazardous levels are LEGAL. Mine operators have been allowed for decades to expose workers to deadly levels of respirable dust that the public health community predicted would causerespiratory diseases, including coal workers’ pneumoconiosis.

Why US coal miners are still developing black lung disease 8211 The Pump Handle

probably getting the stuff on their clothes and skin. they would need to scrub down right after work and probably they dont.

 

[HenryBHough]

Please clarify, Neddy.....


Are you bragging or complaining?

Better check your talking points e-mails to be certain before answering.

 

[Mad Scientist]

What has changed? The EPA is shutting down Coal Powered Power Plants.

 

[Yarddog]

be a little less black lung if you change that screen in your weed pipe once in a while.

 

[Yarddog]

If obama care supplied free weed pipe screens, we'ed have a whole lot less black lung.

 

[Samson]

Intewesting...

The simple answer: these men and miners across the country are exposed to levels of respirable coal and silica dust that cause disease, BUT under current worker safety regulations, these hazardous levels are LEGAL. Mine operators have been allowed for decades to expose workers to deadly levels of respirable dust that the public health community predicted would causerespiratory diseases, including coal workers’ pneumoconiosis.

Why US coal miners are still developing black lung disease 8211 The Pump Handle

From the OP:

According to Monday's letter, PMF was "virtually eradicated" just 15 years ago, but the sample of long-term underground miners from last year showed a nearly ten-fold increase, to 3.23 percent of workers, in the central Appalachian states.
​

OVER 3% of workers!!!! Holy Shit! SKYROCKETING DISEASE RATES!!!!

According to the National Mining Association, Appalachian coal mining employed just under 50,000 in 2004.

 

[Tom Sweetnam]

"Ah hack, Ah hack. I've got da black lung."--Derek Zoolander

 

[Stephanie]

omg, some people are forever a chicken little

 

[Luddly Neddite]

"3%"
"chicken little"

The victims probably do feel like the sky is falling.

 

[Mr. H.]

Me grand pappy was a coal miner from Austria.
He married a Gypsy lady from Slovenia.

I steal coal from bad childrens' Christmas stockings. Maybe I should have that looked into.