The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

August 18, 2008

Black lung anniversary celebration planned

Fred Pace

Editor’s note: This is the first part in a two-part series on the black lung program and events planned to celebrate its 30th anniversary.



West Virginia offices in Charleston and Parkersburg that administer claims under the Black Lung Benefits Act will celebrate their 30th anniversary in Charleston Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The black lung benefit program was established by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 to provide monthly benefit payments to coal miners totally disabled as a result of pneumoconiosis, to the widows of coal miners who died as a result of pneumoconiosis and to their dependents.

The offices in Charleston and Parkersburg were created as a result of the enactment in 1978 of the 1977 amendments to the 1969 health and safety act.

Coal miners and their survivors are invited to attend Thursday’s celebration.

Sen. Robert Byrd and then-Congressman Ken Hechler are considered leaders of the efforts to establish black lung laws. Hechler will speak at the celebration in a discussion on the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969. Joining him will be Dr. Hawey A. Wells Jr. and Dr. Donald L. Rasmussen, a Beckley doctor who is also known as a champion of black lung benefits for miners.

Also scheduled to attend are Gov. Joe Manchin, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts. Several coal experts and public officials also will appear.

Registration and refreshments begin at 8 a.m.

A tour of the NIOSH X-ray surveillance mobile unit, used in black lung screenings, also will be offered.

Anyone interested in black lung information or the 30th anniversary event can call 800-347-3749.



West Virginia black lung statistics



West Virginia accounted for 1,050 federal black lung claims of the 4,900 filed in the nation last year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The state usually accounts for up to 25 percent of the country’s total black lung applications. About 13 percent of West Virginia coal miners who have had chest X-ray screenings are found to have black lung, as compared to a national average of 9 percent, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Most agree that the start of the black lung program came as a result of the Farmington mine explosion that killed 78 workers in November 1968 which brought national attention to the working conditions of coal miners. Congressional hearings were held the following year on mine safety reform. Experts also delved into the black lung disease issue.

Black lung is progressive, and its symptoms may not appear until years after a miner’s last exposure to coal dust.



What is black lung disease?



Black lung disease is a common name for any lung disease developing from inhaling coal dust. This name comes from the fact that those with the disease have lungs that look black instead of pink. Medically, it is a type of pneumoconiosis called coal workers’ pneumoconiosis. There are two forms: simple, which is known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP); and complicated, which is known as progressive massive fibrosis (PMF).

The inhalation and accumulation of coal dust into the lungs increases the risk of developing emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Coal dust can also increase the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).



What causes coal workers’ pneumoconiosis?



The inhalation and accumulation of coal dust causes coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP). This stems from working in a coal mine, coal trimming (loading and stowing coal for storage), mining or milling graphite, and manufacturing carbon electrodes (used in certain types of large furnaces) and carbon black (a compound used in many items, such as tires and other rubber goods). Because CWP is a reaction to accumulated dust in the lungs, it may appear and get worse during your exposure to the dust or after your exposure has ceased.

The severity of CWP depends on the type of coal mine and the dust conditions in the work environment.

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