"I had so many obligations at that time that I couldn't quit the mines,"
"I wanted to continue to work ... and mining pay, y'know, so I can keep things going here at the house."
"There's nothing you can do. Every time you go out in the yard, even walk around the yard, you got to have an oxygen tank with you,"
A lifelong coal miner from Fayette County, West Virginia, was diagnosed with black lung in 1984 and continued working until permanent disability in 2003. He began receiving benefits only in 2009. Mobility and breathing limitations now require an oxygen tank for basic outdoor activity. A 2024 Mine Safety and Health Administration rule aimed to reduce miners' exposure to respirable crystalline silica and improve respiratory protection, with a compliance date of April 14, 2025. That enforcement date passed without the rule taking effect. Many Appalachian miners expected the rule to mark progress on preventing black lung but remain waiting for its implementation.
Read at Truthout
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