Howard Berkes

Reporters Discuss Black Lung Surge In Appalachia

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control found that black lung rates are the highest they’ve been since the 1970s. The disease can be debilitating, even for young miners. Justin Hicks reported for the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom on the new CDC report. Longtime investigative reporter Howard Berkes assisted, continuing his years of reporting on black lung, as previously featured on Inside Appalachia. Following the story’s release, Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams reached out to dig deeper.

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Black Lung And Beasts Of The East, Inside Appalachia

This week, a new report finds the number of black lung cases is at its highest since the 1970s. The human cost is high. Also, the author of a new book says reintroducing nearly extinct animals back into the wild can boost damaged ecosystems, but they can't repair them. And, roadside attractions pay tribute to our enduring fascination with weird.

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Encore: The Rise of Black Lung, Inside Appalachia

This week on Inside Appalachia, black lung disease is back. In fact, it never went away. Now, younger and younger miners are living with a particularly nasty form of black lung disease. Regulators and the coal industry have known about the problem for decades — but they’ve been slow to respond. One reporter asks, “What would happen if thousands of workers in any other industry got sick and died just because of where they worked?”

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How A Reporter’s Investigation Of Appalachia’s Black Lung Epidemic Pushed Federal Officials To Respond

Miners are suffering from an advanced version of black lung disease known as progressive massive fibrosis. It’s the result of digging at increasingly thin coal seams. That means they’re also cutting into quartz, which creates silica dust. Advanced black lung results from breathing in that blend of silica and coal dust.

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