The Resurgence of Black Lung: A Growing Health Crisis in American Coal Mining Communities

Doctors describe Black Lung as “an epidemic of unprecedented proportions” in the US. The condition, which seemed to have all but disappeared in the 1990s, is experiencing a remarkable resurgence. Scientists attribute this to the fact that miners now inhale more dust than before. Due to exhaustion of the mines, ever thinner coal reserves are being mined, which requires digging deeper into the surrounding rocks. This releases fine silica vapour, which damages the lungs more quickly than coal dust.

Hardest hit are parts of the states of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, where the coal industry has traditionally been the cornerstone of the economy. Miners from those states “are most at risk”, researchers concluded from the University of Chicago and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) recently. They walk more than eight times as likely to die of lung disease as men in the U.S. population as a whole, that large-scale study found, drawing on data from more than 235,000 deceased miners.

Coal mining remains a source of pride

In addition to the downturn in the coal sector, the affected states are also facing a health crisis. Although patients with Black Lung have been able to rely on financial support since 1972, sick miners often have to struggle for years. Last year, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia served a bill in, the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, intended to ease access to financial compensation.

Despite the threat to public health, coal mining remains an important part of the culture in the region – and a source of pride for the inhabitants. Due to climate policy, there is great pressure to phase out fossil fuels. But not all residents feel that way. Just as the mining dust is in their lungs, the mining culture is in their DNA.