One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren’t allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.
A makeshift billboard depicting a miner working in a “low coal” mine shaft greets drivers leaving Fleming-Neon, Kentucky.Photo Credit: Justin Hicks/Louisville Public Media
Listen
Share this Article
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?”
This week, we’re talking about the black lung epidemic, Inside Appalachia.
In This Episode:
Looking Back At The Rise of Advanced Black Lung Cases Rising
The blackened lungs of a coal miner who received a transplant at age 60.
Credit: Mine Safety and Health Administration
Advanced black lung is rampant across the coal-producing regions of central Appalachia, in West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia.
This is different from simple black lung, which is debilitating, but advanced black lung is known as progressive massive fibrosis. It’s the result of miners digging at increasingly thin coal seams. To get at the coal, they cut into quartz, which creates silica dust.
Breathing the mix of silica and coal dust is much more destructive and like simple black lung, there is no cure.
Advanced black lung has been documented for decades, but it’s getting new attention from federal officials.
As part of our special program, we aired a 2018 NPR segment with Howard Berkes, where he met with dozens of Appalachian miners with advanced black lung disease.
Federal Regulators Are Crafting New Rules
Most coal production has been declining for years, but the metallurgical coal industry has been ramping up production to meet global demand. With increased demand, experts predict more cases of black lung. After years of inaction, though, federal officials are addressing the issue.
Over the summer, the Mine Safety and Health Administration proposed a rule intended to protect coal miners from exposure to silica dust. By the time the comment period closed in September, the draft rule had attracted 157 comments.
Mason Adams spoke with Berkes about what they found.
——
Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by John Hurlbut and Jorma Kaukonen, Tim Bing, June Carter Cash and Steve Earle.
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.
WVPB will be screening excerpts of Ken Burns’ recent PBS documentary series "The American Revolution" this week at Marshall. Us & Them host Trey Kay will moderate the event, and he spoke recently with WVPB News Director Eric Douglas about why revisiting the nation’s founding story matters today. Also, a bill to temporarily delay moving a child to homeschooling during an active case of abuse or neglect hit a snag in the Senate on Monday.
One of America’s pioneering filmmakers had nothing to do with Hollywood but nevertheless left his mark on the emerging industry. Oscar Micheaux was a homesteader, who then turned his attention to making movies in the early 1900s. He was a Black man who made movies for Black audiences at a time when they weren’t allowed into mainstream, white-only theaters. And for several pivotal years in the 1920s, he operated out of Roanoke, Virginia.
West Virginians gathered at the capitol last week to urge lawmakers to take action on rising electric bills. Also, state leaders have been quick to respond to news of the U.S.-led attack on Iran. And, Larry Kump, a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, died over the weekend.
On this West Virginia Week, residents demand action on energy bills, the Hope Scholarship bill moves forward and changes to homeschooling requirements meets resistance.
