Black Lung Disease Makes Comeback, Study Shows
Prevalence of Severe Form of Disease in Central Appalachia's Coal Miners Is 3.2%, Similar to 1974 Level, Federal Research Says
Coal miners in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky are seeing a resurgence in severe black lung disease.
Kris Maher
@Kris_Maher
Kris.Maher@wsj.com
Updated Sept. 15, 2014 11:52 am ET
The prevalence of severe black lung disease among coal miners in Central Appalachia has hit levels not seen since coal dust was first regulated in mines about 40 years ago, according to federal researchers.
A new study indicates the disease has roared back faster in the region than previously was thought and comes as the coal industry and the Obama administration are locked in a legal battle about stricter coal-dust regulations that took effect Aug. 1.
In 2012, the prevalence of severe black lung, known as progressive massive fibrosis, in miners in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky reached 3.2%, up from a low of 0.4% in 1998, according to findings published Monday in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In 1974, the level was 3.3% for miners in those states.
More powerful machines that grind coal into finer particles could be to blame, safety experts say. They also suspect that mining the region's thinner coal seams is churning up more rock and hazardous silica dust.