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Prevalence of Severe Form of Disease in Central Appalachia’s Coal Miners Is 3.2%, Similar to 1974 Level, Federal Research Says
The prevalence of severe black lung disease among coal miners in Central Appalachia has hit levels not seen since coal dust was first regulated in mines roughly 40 years ago, according to federal researchers.
A new study indicates the disease has roared back faster in the region than previously was thought and comes as the coal industry and the Obama administration are locked in a legal battle about stricter coal-dust regulations that took effect Aug. 1.
In 2012, the prevalence of severe black lung, known as progressive massive fibrosis, in miners in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky reached 3.2%, up from a low of 0.4% in 1998, according to findings published Monday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In 1974, the level was 3.3% for miners in those states.
More powerful machines that grind coal into finer particles could be to blame, safety experts say. They also suspect that mining the region’s thinner coal seams is churning up more rock and hazardous silica dust.
The study—by researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—analyzed results from a long-term surveillance program in which miners periodically undergo chest X-rays.
The prevalence reflects the proportion of underground miners with experience of 25 years or more who had X-ray evidence of severe black lung while still working. It excludes less experienced workers and those who became disabled. Prior published reports on the prevalence of black lung included data through 2009.
“We had a general sense that especially in Central Appalachia we were seeing a comeback, but all of us were very surprised by these latest numbers,” said David Blackley, a Niosh researcher who published the data.
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