Black Lung Hits Highest Rate Since 1978 Among Veteran Central Appalachian Miners, Federal Data Show
NIOSH researchers said 280 miners screened in five years and 91 tested positive, underscoring a disease surge tied to silica dust exposure.
- On Wednesday, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that black lung rates among veteran Appalachian underground coal miners have reached their highest levels in nearly 50 years.
- Experts attribute the surge to mining thinner coal seams, which requires drilling through more rock and increases exposure to silica dust—20 times more toxic than coal dust alone.
- Radiologist Brandon Crum, who specializes in detecting black lung, confirmed the trend as NIOSH researchers found 32.5% of screened veteran miners tested positive, calling the findings "It's awful."
- Lung transplants cost up to $2 million each, while more than 26,000 miners or their dependents drew $175 million from a federal black lung trust fund in 2024.
- The Trump administration froze a silica regulation enacted under Biden, while the National Mining Association cites 90% compliance with dust limits; researchers warn delayed enforcement means more disease is "likely to result.
13 Articles
13 Articles
New study: Black lung disease rate in Appalachia is the worst in nearly 50 years
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the first story of a two-part series examining black lung disease rate in Appalachia. The story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week;…
WPLN — Nashville Public Radio
Mountain State SpotlightBlack lung rates in Appalachia are high as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick
Respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman doesn’t need a research study to confirm for her a return to the dark days of coal mining. She finds evidence in a stack of more than 150 funeral programs, all for former patients at her pulmonary rehabilitation clinic in Norton, Virginia. “Each one of these represents a life that’s gone because of black lung,” Freeman explained as she flipped through the programs, recognizing names and images. “These are husb…
Trump says coal is “a great business.” One in three veteran Appalachian miners has black lung
Black lung among veteran Appalachian miners is back to 1978 levels, at the same time the Trump administration has put stronger silica-dust protections on hold. After a century of mining, accessing Appalachia's remaining thin coal seams requires cutting through far more quartz-rich rock. — Read the rest The post Trump says coal is "a great business." One in three veteran Appalachian miners has black lung appeared first on Boing Boing.
Appalachia's black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners' protections stall • Kentucky Lantern
Like many miners with advanced black lung disease, Tim Balthis looks healthy, sitting with his wife Fran Balthis on their porch in Pound, Va. But a scan of his lungs shows so much fibrotic tissue a doctor told Balthis he was surprised he was still alive. (Photo by Roger May of NPR, published through the Appalachian News Exchange.) This story was published through the Appalachian News Exchange, a regional media collaboration. Respiratory therapi…
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