A new wave of severe black lung cases is devastating younger coal miners in central Appalachia, where rising silica dust exposure and federal funding cuts are compounding the crisis.
Kate Morgan reports for The New York Times.
In short:
- Coal miners are developing the most advanced form of black lung disease, progressive massive fibrosis, at rates not seen since the 1970s — some in their 30s and 40s — due in part to increased exposure to toxic silica dust from drilling through rock.
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health lost hundreds of staff in recent federal cuts, including a division working on real-time silica detection technology; a new rule to limit silica exposure was delayed just before taking effect.
- Doctors and researchers warn that the disease is now more aggressive and widespread than in previous generations, with rising numbers of transplants, disability claims, and early deaths among miners.
Key quote:
“You don’t get 30- and 40-something-year-old men on bilateral lung transplant evaluations if they aren’t breathing toxic dust.”
— Scott Laney, epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Why this matters:
Black lung, once in decline, is now reemerging in younger workers with deadly intensity. Silica dust, more dangerous than coal dust alone, is being inhaled at higher concentrations as miners blast through harder rock to reach thinner coal seams. Progressive massive fibrosis, the most advanced form of black lung, is leaving miners gasping for air and dying decades before retirement age. These cases require intensive care, transplants, and long-term disability support. At the same time, budget cuts have weakened key government programs designed to monitor and prevent the disease, and delayed enforcement of tougher dust limits. Without stronger protections, a new generation of miners faces chronic illness, early death, and families left to cope with the aftermath.
Learn more: Trump administration halts key black lung research as miner deaths climb
