‘Fully operational’: WV miners get black lung X-rays as NIOSH mobile unit returns

Mine rescue teams are the ones called in when things go wrong in a mine, said Brady, who is the director of the department of Mining and Industrial Extension at West Virginia University.

Usually, these situations are clear and the danger they pose apparent. Having individuals trained to correct them, Brady said, means lives are saved and disasters avoided.

Nearby, in the parking lot of the Hazel & J.W. Ruby Community Center at Mylan Park, a different kind of team was working to help miners stay safe from a less obvious but just as dangerous threat: black lung.

Employees with the National Institute for Occupational Safety were there staffing the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program’s mobile black lung screening unit. It’s the first time the mobile unit has been back in the field since federal government cuts shut it down earlier this year.

Court mandate restored services

Now, following a court mandate ordering the full restoration of services at the CWHSP, Laura Reynolds, the supervisory programs management officer with the NIOSH Respiratory Health Division, said everything is back to normal.

“It did take some time — first to stop everything [in April] and then, you know, getting everything back going again,� Reynolds said. “But we’re fully operational again now. Everything is staffed, we’ve got the mobile unit going, and we’re just happy to be back in the community meeting miners where they are.�

The mobile black lung screening unit provides miners with free screenings to test their lung function and see if there is evidence of black lung. Screenings take roughly 30 minutes per person and include a health and work history questionnaire, a chest X-ray, a blood pressure screening and a spirometry test.

It takes about five people to staff the unit — one to drive and four others who run the tests and see miners.

Joene Patterson, a health technician at NIOSH who works on the unit, said being able to take services to miners directly is critical.

“For a lot of folks, too many, this might be the only time they really come and get their health checked,� Patterson said. “You know, people — men especially — can be stubborn about their health. They don’t think that something bad will happen to them, but we know it does.�

The screenings are fully confidential and available to both current and retired miners. Reynolds said the check-ins allow miners to make up their own minds about what they want to do depending on the results. There aren’t any mandates that stop someone from working if they do have black lung, but knowing the diagnosis allows them to have options.

“It’s about giving them choices, making sure they’re aware of their health and any risks they might be taking,� Reynolds said. “We aren’t here to force anyone to do anything, but we want to make sure that they’re being educated about what could happen and their own risk level.�

If a current miner shows a positive black lung X-ray, then they can apply for a Part 90 transfer, which allows them to move to a less dusty part of the mine without facing retribution — like a cut in pay or hours — from employers.

For retired miners, the X-rays can be used to apply for black lung benefit payments.

Over the course of three days last week, Reynolds said the mobile unit saw dozens of miners.

“A few people told us they were happy to see us back out here and that was great to hear,� Reynolds said. “We’re happy anytime anyone comes in and decides to get checked out.�

Screenings critical for early black lung detection

Real lungs on display inside the NIOSH black lung screening mobile unit show what black lung looks like when it progresses. (Payton Mandell for West Virginia Watch)

The screenings are critical for early detection of black lung disease. The earlier a case is caught, the more steps people can take to prevent the disease from evolving into a more complicated and debilitating form.

There is no cure for black lung. The best intervention, according to experts, is to limit exposure to dangerous silica dust.

But limiting that exposure is becoming difficult as dust is more common in mines now due to miners needing to dig through silica-rich sandstone to reach the little coal that remains in existing seams.

In central Appalachia, black lung rates are on the rise; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 20% of coal miners here are suffering from black lung — the highest rate detected in more than 25 years.

One in 20 of the region’s coal miners are living with the most severe form of the condition.

The resurgence of black lung is hitting coal miners at younger ages than ever before due to the increased exposure to silica dust.

Jennifer Orrahood, who also works on the mobile unit, said they’re seeing these statistics in real life all the time. It’s difficult, however, since younger coal miners tend to be more resistant to getting screened, Reynolds said.

“They tend not to worry about it, and I guess that’s part of being young,� Reynolds said.

Orrahood said she wants young miners to understand that they aren’t invincible. Risks exist and, if nothing else, it’s important to be knowledgeable about your own health.

“If you’re young, even if you believe you’re totally healthy you should still be getting screened to set a baseline,� Orrahood said. “We hope they’re right, that there’s nothing wrong, but that baseline is critical for knowing that’s the case.�