Posted with permission from Confined Space, a newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues.
Black Lung is Back: After almost being eradicated in the late 1990, black lung is back, with a vengeance. Epidemiologists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health say they’ve identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported, according to an NPR story. “When I first implemented this clinic back in 1990, you would see … five [to] seven … PMF cases” a year, says Ron Carson, who directs Stone Mountain’s black lung program. The clinics now see that many cases every two weeks, he says. Black Lung (or progressive massive fibrosis — PMF) is caused by inhalation of coal and silica dust at both underground and surface coal mines. Miners gradually lose the ability to breathe, as they wheeze and gasp for air. Lung transplants are the only cure, and they’re possible only when miners are healthy enough to qualify.