Tag: Black Lung

A New Investigation Into Black Lung And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, advanced black lung disease, or progressive massive fibrosis, affects miners who breathe in quartz rock dust. A new investigation looks into advanced cases.

On this West Virginia Morning, advanced black lung disease, or progressive massive fibrosis, is rampant across coal country. It’s caused when miners breathe in quartz rock dust as they try to get at seams of coal. Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams recently spoke with Howard Berkes about a new investigation into advanced black lung cases he helped lead that was co-published by Public Health Watch, Louisville Public Media and Mountain State Spotlight.

Also, in this show, our Mountain Stage Song of the Week comes to us from world-renowned jazz singer and guitarist John Pizzarelli. We listen to his performance of “I Want to Be Happy.”

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Celebrating A Tradition Of Poets And Discussing The Resurgence Of Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, Rev. George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered today through his poetry. And a new wave of black lung disease is ravaging Appalachia. We’ll hear more from a black lung town hall in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Coal miners have their own thoughts about black lung, too.

This week, Rev. George Mills Dickerson of Tazewell, Virginia was born in the years after slavery ended. He’s remembered today through his poetry.

And a new wave of black lung disease is ravaging Appalachia. We’ll hear more from a black lung town hall in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Coal miners have their own thoughts about black lung, too.

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Celebrating Poetry About 20th Century African American Life

Poetry has been a tradition in Jeanette Wilson’s family for generations. They’ve recited the poems of Wilson’s grandfather and her uncle George for nearly a century. Now, these poems about African American life in southwest Virginia are reaching a wider audience — and connecting the past to the present. 

Folkways Reporter Connie Kitts brings us this story.

The Voices Of Black Lung Miners

For years, it looked like black lung disease was on the decline, but a new epidemic has emerged. In 2018, NPR and the PBS program Frontline investigated a resurgence of advanced black lung among coal miners across Appalachia. They found that despite mounting evidence and a stream of warnings, federal regulators and mining companies failed to protect workers.

The result was that thousands of miners were afflicted with an advanced stage of black lung disease — known as Progressive Massive Fibrosis.

We bring this story from the miners themselves, as told to NPR’s Howard Berkes and Ohio Valley ReSource reporter Benny Becker. It was originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered on Jan. 22, 2019. The full documentary Coal’s Deadly Dust is available on pbs.org.

Black Lung Town Hall Meeting In Kentucky

In July, the Appalachian Citizens Law Center hosted a black lung town hall in Whitesburg, Kentucky. The nonprofit law firm invited miners and their families to hear from experts about the current state of black lung disease in Appalachia. One of those experts is Kentucky radiologist James Brandon Crum, who first alerted federal researchers to what they later labeled an epidemic of complicated black lung. 

WMMT in Whitesburg recorded the meeting for its program Mountain Talk. What Dr. Crum has to say is eye-opening — especially if you’re not part of the coal mining community.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Jeff Ellis, Charlie McCoy, Southern Culture on the Skids, June Carter Cash, and Tim and Dave Bing

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Black Lung Health Fair Held In Oak Hill

A free health fair on Tuesday gave the community of Oak Hill the opportunity to be tested for black lung disease.

The New River Health Association hosted the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) mobile health bus to offer free screenings for black lung on Tuesday.

“NIOSH is here doing a free service,” said Lisa Emery, Breathing Center director at the New River Health Association’s Black Lung Clinic. “And we’re really excited because the numbers of black lung are skyrocketing here in Appalachia. So we want to take care of our coal miners.”

In addition, miners had the opportunity to register for state and federal benefits with the assistance of a benefits counselor.

“As far as your benefits go, we’re going to educate you on how to file state claims,” Emery said. “There’s definitely time limits with state claims. And we don’t want you to miss out on any opportunities to file your federal or your state black lung claim.”

According to Emery, one in five coal miners develops complicated pneumoconiosis, and younger coal miners are getting black lung earlier than ever before.

“It’s no longer your grandfather’s disease,” Emery said. “It’s no longer your husband’s disease. It’s your son’s disease, too, because younger and younger coal miners are developing this.”

“We hear a lot about miners who are in their 20s,” said Cindy Whitlock, director of School Health at New River Health Association.  “I think the youngest patient we have ever had is 33. And, it’s one of those West Virginia things. It just seems to be pervasive in every family. It doesn’t matter who you talk to, you’ve got somebody in your family that has black lung.”

Whitlock said the convenience of the resources available at the fair could be life-changing for someone with black lung.

“I think having a one-stop easy, you know, come in and when you leave, it’s done,” Whitlock said. “I think that’s very exciting, even though it’s a sad state of affairs to see this many people at these various ages affected by black lung.”

Roger James is a retired coal miner diagnosed with black lung. He does pulmonary rehab at New River Health and said the clinic motivates him to stay active.

“It motivates me to be able to come out and do the exercising that I do, because when you lay around, your body deteriorates quickly,” James said. “So you need to stay active, and when you cannot breathe, it’s hard to stay active because you get frustrated. Really easy. So it means a lot to just be able to get out and do for yourself.”

According to Emery, in total, black lung benefits counselors were able to help 53 miners fill out their federal black lung applications. In addition, NIOSH performed breathing tests and black lung x-rays on 86 miners and New River Health did five breathing tests on patients who came in curious about their breathing and interested in the pulmonary rehab program.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Black Lung Screenings And Town Hall In Oakhill

Black lung screenings will be available and free to the public Tuesday in Oak Hill.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Mobile Health Unit will be at New River Health in Oak Hill Tuesday to provide free health screenings from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The screenings are open to the public and to retired or working coal miners. Screenings will include chest x-rays, breathing tests and benefits counseling.

Access to this kind of testing in rural areas is vital, according to Courtney Rhoades, Black Lung Organizer with the Appalachian Citizens Law Center.

“Whether you’re a coal miner or someone who just thinks they have any type of pulmonary symptoms happening, it’s so important to make sure that you’re getting screened to make sure that you’re keeping up with your health,” Rhoades said.

A Black Lung Town Hall hosted by the National Black Lung Association, National Coalition of Black Lung and Respiratory Disease Clinics, and the United Mine Workers of America will be held after the health fair, at 5:00 p.m.
The town hall will provide updates on the black lung epidemic and the newly proposed silica dust exposure rule from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Coal Miners Testify For U.S. To Lower Silica Dust Exposure Limit

Silica dust is driving a surge in new black lung cases, causing more severe forms of the disease and in younger miners.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) held a hearing in Raleigh County on Thursday on silica dust exposure in coal mines.

Active and retired miners testified that a lower limit for silica dust exposure is needed to protect the health of coal miners.

Silica dust is driving a surge in new black lung cases, causing more severe forms of the disease and in younger miners.

Gary Hairston, a retired miner in Fayette County who’s president of the National Black Lung Association, said it leaves younger miners unable to support their families.

“It’s bad when you’re at 35 years old and you can’t work no more,” he said. “I was at 48 and I couldn’t work no more.”

MSHA proposes a limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter per shift, in line with Occupational Health and Safety Administration guidelines.

The public will have until Sept. 11 to comment on the proposal, an extension of 15 days.

Mine Agency To Hold Hearing In Raleigh County On Silica Dust Exposure

The hearing will start at 9 a.m. on Aug. 10 at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy, 1301 Airport Road in Beaver.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration will hold a hearing next week in Raleigh County on the proposed limit for silica dust exposure in coal mines.

The hearing will start at 9 a.m. on Aug. 10 at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy, 1301 Airport Road in Beaver.

The agency proposes to lower the maximum exposure to 50 micrograms per meter of air during an eight-hour shift. That matches the limit already in place under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Silica dust exposure has been linked to an earlier onset of black lung disease in miners, and to more severe cases.

The hearing is the only one scheduled to take place in Central Appalachia, where new cases of black lung disease are most concentrated.

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