There are mining traditions, but we wish Black Lung were not one of them.
Bubonic Plague, Rickets, Small Pox; we think of such diseases as extinct, eradicated or at least well understood, in all but the most desolate third world countries.
Yet, there is another disease which is just as understood, preventable and should be eradicated; it’s called Black Lung.
Black Lung is prevalent wherever coal is mined, and coal dust is where it lives. Black Lung is now thriving in own highly advanced 21st century American Civilization. And it is killing our miners.
From the FLASS vantage point, we have to explain that the story of Black Lung is complex. It involves government issues, labor issues and personalities.
Miners are dedicated to carving a living out of the Earth’s crust, as did their fathers, and their father’s fathers before them.
Black lung is a stalking lung disease and it is on the rise. Few people realize, it is claiming the health and lives of American miners at an alarming rate, especially in Appalachia.
Every diagnosis is a double tragedy because it represents a loss of employment and a loss of life that could have been prevented.
Flash Back: What is Black Lung?
It has been decades since Black Lung has been big news in the mainstream press, like Lung Cancer or COPD. However, it has recently been a huge topic due to the increase of cases in Appalatia.
However, recent studies brought it into the public eye and the public press. At FLASS, we believe in reporting the lung-related, trending stories in Medical News. So, let’s begin with a definitive look at the disease.
Black Lung is actually named pneumoconiosis, and the designation includes including progressive massive fibrosis, abbreviated as “PMF.”
1. Black Lung “is an advanced, debilitating, and lethal form of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis with limited, primarily palliative treatment options and no cure.”
Another fact you should know about Black Lung is that lung specialists have proven it is caused by only one thing: excessive inhalation of coal mine dust.
This scientific fact means the rising number of cases recently discovered is the result of one of two possibilities:
A. Overexposure to the coal dust.
B. Increased toxicity stemming from changes in the composition of the dust.
2. Speaking Governmentally, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has been monitoring and measuring PMF for 
generations. Experts have known about Black Lung for 45 years, at least.
In fact 15 years ago, Black Lung was judged as almost obsolete, once the laws regarding ratios of air versus dust were established, 1943. Next week, we will show you the figures as the statistics rose instead of lowered during the last 15 years.
3. CWHSP has been studying and concluded “the rate of increase in the central Appalachian states of Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia has been especially pronounced.”
Since they are the watchdogs for the disease, NIOSH also leads the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program, CWHSP.
Likewise, the CWHSP offers free x-rays and tests to miners–And confidential notification of their pneumoconiosis status, if they want it.
Thus, the government has supported legislation against Black Lung. Law sets standards and medicine understands the causes and symptoms. So how has it gotten out of control -–again?
Thank you for visiting our website and reading our blog. We hope our blog-readers will return next week, as we continue to investigate the Black Lung Disease, and the mysterious conflict between laws and rising case numbers.