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More than 20% of the long-standing underground coal miners in the central Appalachians, which includes eastern Kentucky, have black lungs, the highest level recorded in a quarter of a century, according to one study published this week. Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health are the latest to document a disturbing increase in the black lung, an incurable disease caused by the inhalation of accumulated dust during mining
. The study found that 16.1% of miners with at least 25 years of experience had a single black lung, the initial phase of the disease, and 4.5% had a progressive massive fibrosis, the form the most severe.
Another industry or place of work in the United States in which this would be considered acceptable, "said the researchers of the level of occupational injury.
The black lung is progressive, so simple black lung can
The The fact that the disease may take years to develop also means that more cases are likely to occur in the coming years.
The black lung caused or contributed to the deaths of more than 76,000 minors at the end 1960s, according to federal figures
Report findings were for miners who received x-rays between 1970 and 2017.
Not all miners do, but the results probably reflect the prevalence of black lung among
Other reports have documented hundreds of black lung cases among retired miners.
The study published this week indicates that there are had a black lung increase throughout the country since 2000, but the most significant peak The national prevalence of black lung among long-term miners – those who have been working for 25 years or more – exceeds 10%. 100, and more. by 5 p Black lung prevalence among long-standing underground coal miners was 30%, but decreased significantly under the 1969 rules to protect the health of minors, including minors aged 20 to 24 . In the late 1990s, the prevalence among long-term miners was about 5%, while the prevalence of progressive massive fibrosis fell from 3.5% in the mid-1970s to 0.5%, the study said.
However, the disease rebounded from 2000, especially in central Appalachia
The researchers cited a number of potential resurgence factors, including miners working longer; more extraction of thinner coal seams, which requires cutting more rock and thus producing more silica; inadequate rules for controlling dust; The US Administration of Safety and Health in Mining has adopted rules from 2014 to better protect minors, including lower limits for respirable dust and more stringent requirements when it comes to safety. dust sampling.
The agency recently launched a call for information for a study of the rules, which came into force in 2016.
Some mine safety advocates feared that the administration of the President Donald Trump eases the rule of dust – as she did with many environmental standards of the Obama era – but MSHA's director, David G. Zatezalo, said in a press release that the purpose of the study was to see if the new dust rule was working as expected.
"MSHA does not intend MSHAs said it would take at least a decade to fully assess the health effects of the rule because of the time it takes for black lungs
NIOSH researchers said that the increase in black lung indicates that the rules remain essential to protect minors.
"The improvement and diligent application of the standards of 2014 remain essential to reverse these trends, "the researchers said.
The study was published online Thursday in the journal of the American Public Health Association.
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