CDC finds 2% of surface miners have black lung - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

CDC finds 2% of surface miners have black lung

Posted:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds black lung disease isn't limited to miners who work underground.

A study of thousands of surface miners shows that about 2 percent of those tested in 2010-2011 also had the disease.

That's 46 of 2,257 miners. Twelve had the most severe form, and most of them never worked underground.

CDC researcher Cara Halldin tells The Courier-Journal of Louisville, KY., that's a higher rate than anyone expected because surface miners were thought to have little exposure.

Black lung, or coal workers' pneumoconiosis, is an irreversible and potentially debilitating disease caused by exposure to coal dust.

The report found it was more prevalent in surface miners in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia than in other coal mining states.

Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WVVA.
All Rights Reserved. For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance with issues relating to the content of this station's public inspection file should contact Administrative Assistant Audrey Sluss at (304) 324-0659. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, at 888-835-5322 (TTY) or at fccinfo@fcc.gov.