Pneumoconiosis- Black Lung

Pneumoconiosis or Black Lung is a disease caused by exposure to mineral dust, coal dust, asbestos, and silicia. Exposure occurs to miners and workers that are breathing contaminated air in confined spaces without adequate usage of personal protective equipment (PPE). The mineral dust deposits in the lung tissue and overtime, creates spots of dead lung tissue. Symptoms of pneumoconiosis usually begin with a non-productive cough and progresses to shortness of breath. As exposure continues, the lung tissue scars resulting in hypoxia that  eventually leads to death.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set guidelines and recommendations for a Recommended Exposure Limit for coal miner exposure to coal dust. The NIOSH recommends that coal miners limit their respiratory exposure to coal dust to no more than 1mg/m3 per 10 hr day but no more than 40 hr/week. Coal miners have an increased risk of developing Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and Progressive Massive Fibrosis (PMF).

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 set standards of coal dust exposure to miners and create the Black Lung Disability Trust that granted compensation to miners with lung disease. Since this law has been enacted, the number of miners with CWP has decreased by 90%.

The United States Department of Labor agency of Miner Safety and Health Administration administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act). The agency enforces that the mining industry is complaint with the regulations to keep miners safe under (MSHA).  

Unfortunately, in recent years, coal miners have had increasing rates of CWP and PMF. NPR in 2017 reported that the NIOSH underreported the number of cases of PMF by a factor of 20. The NIOSH reported that there were only 99 cases while NPR found that there were over 2000 cases in Kentucky, West Virgina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

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