Black lung disease rates among Appalachian coal miners have climbed to their highest levels in nearly 50 years, with thousands sick and dying as mining experts blame increasingly common toxic silica dust.
Key facts
- Appalachian black lung rates are now as bad as they were in the 1970s.
- Thousands of miners are sick and dying from the disease.
- Mining experts blame toxic silica dust, which is now more common in mines.
- Miner protections have stalled, according to NPR reporting.
Black lung disease among coal miners in Appalachia has risen to its highest level in nearly half a century, according to NPR. Rates are now as bad as they were in the 1970s, a period that spurred major federal efforts to protect the health of the nation’s coal miners.
NPR reports that thousands of miners are currently sick and dying from the disease, underscoring the scale of a health crisis that has re-emerged in coal country decades after earlier reforms were meant to bring it under control.
Mining experts cited by NPR blame toxic silica dust, which they say has become more common in mines. Exposure to such dust is associated with severe and often irreversible lung disease among those who work underground.
The resurgence comes as protections designed to shield miners have stalled, according to the reporting. The lack of progress on safeguards has left workers exposed to conditions that experts link to the rising illness rates.
The combination of higher silica dust exposure and stalled protections has placed Appalachian mining communities at renewed risk, echoing conditions from an era many believed had been left behind.
Why it matters
Black lung is a preventable and often fatal disease, and its return to 1970s-era levels signals that hard-won protections for miners may be failing. The crisis affects thousands of workers and their families across Appalachian communities that depend on coal mining.
Frequently asked questions
What is causing the rise in black lung disease?
Mining experts cited by NPR blame toxic silica dust, which they say has become more common in mines.
How bad are black lung rates now?
According to NPR, rates are now as bad as they were in the 1970s, the highest in nearly 50 years, with thousands of miners sick and dying.
Why haven't miners been protected?
NPR reports that protections for miners have stalled, leaving workers exposed to conditions experts link to rising illness rates.