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A new report examines how coal dust inhaled by miners is regulated by health and safety authorities with an increase in cases of severe black lung disease in the Appalachians. and limit the exposure of miners to dust. Control of dust exposure is essential to prevent black lung disease or pneumoconiosis. The disease has killed about 77,000 coal miners since 1968.
The 148-page report suggests that surveillance standards that go beyond current federal regulations may be needed to protect more minors from the disease. The US Administration for Safety and Health in Mines has reduced the allowable dust levels in mines during a regulatory change in 2014. The miners also carry underground personal dust monitors.
Amy Louviere, spokeswoman for the mining safety agency, said officials were reviewing the study before commenting publicly on her findings
. there has been an increase in the number of cases progressing rapidly in some areas, including the central Appalachians. In these cases, signs of severe lung disease appear quickly in a period of five years or less. Cases were found in a "hotspot" of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, and miners in these cases were younger than typical patients and more likely to be employed by smaller mines, according to the report.
One of the culprits of the tip in black lung cases could be crystalline silica, which is found in rock dust. Miners work with thinner coal seams, which means they cut more rock containing silica, more damaging to the lungs than coal dust
"Increased exposure to silica seems to explain at least some of the cases of "black lung disease," the report said. He recommended the development of a silica analyzer that detects these levels in the air.
The report also indicates that more robust machinery and faster coal loading cause more dust. The report calls for an in-depth study with industry, unions and the government to identify key challenges in implementing better dust monitoring techniques.
Congress directed the Academy of Sciences to conduct the study in 2016. [19659012]
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