black lung disease News

Kentucky Coal Company, Employee Sentenced for Falsifying Dust Samples, Lying

A coal dust examiner who worked for a Kentucky mining company has been sentenced to six months in prison for falsifying dust samples and lying to federal officials. Walter Perkins’ employer, Black Diamond Coal Company, was placed on probation for …

Coal Executive Murray Files for Federal Benefits to Treat His Black Lung Disease

U.S. coal baron Robert Murray, whose company Murray Energy filed for bankruptcy last year, has applied for federal benefits to treat his black lung disease after opposing more stringent coal dust regulations for years, according to report by West Virginia …

Miners Tell Trump Silica Dust Rule ‘Desperately’ Needed to Curb Black Lung Disease

The head of the national coal miners’ union on Thursday urged the Trump administration to impose regulation on silica dust in mines, which researchers believe is responsible for a resurgence of black lung disease in central Appalachia. The demand from …

Safety Agency Finds 10% of Veteran Coal Miners Have Black Lung Disease

More than 10 percent of America’s coal miners with 25 or more years of experience have black lung disease, the highest rate recorded in roughly two decades, according to a government study released on Thursday that showed cases concentrated heavily …

Jury Awards $67M to Kentucky Miners Over Defective 3M Masks

Two former coal miners in Kentucky who claimed defective dust masks led to their debilitating black-lung disease were awarded $67.5 million in damages in their civil lawsuit. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that a Knott County jury awarded $62.5 million in …

Study: Black Lung Cases Among Appalachian Coal Miners On the Rise

A new research letter published in a medical journal details hundreds of cases of black lung disease in the Central Appalachian coalfields. Three clinics in southwestern Virginia identified 416 coal miners with the disease from January 2013 to February 2017, …

Kentucky Bill Reducing Black Lung Claim Assessments Headed to Governor

Kentucky lawmakers completed quick work Thursday evening on a proposal championed by the Senate’s top leader to reduce the beleaguered coal industry’s costs to cover claims by workers suffering from black lung disease. The plan, presented by Republican Senate President …

Record Number of Miners Being Diagnosed with Black Lung Disease

New data show many more coal miners across Appalachia suffering from the most serious form of black lung disease than federal regulators previously reported. National Public Radio reported Friday that its investigation shows cases 10 times more prevalent, with data …

Report: Eastern Kentucky Sees Spike in Severe Black-Lung Cases

A spike in serious black-lung cases in eastern Kentucky indicates that a disease lawmakers hoped to eradicate decades ago continues to afflict miners. Citing a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health report released Dec. 15, the Lexington Herald-Leader says …

U.S. Mine Safety Rule to Curb Black Lung Goes Into Effect

Underground coal mines will ramp up testing for the dust that causes breathing problems and leads to black lung disease under a new federal rule that took effect February 1. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration is requiring coal …