Posted on Aug 11, 2023
Coal miners say new limits on rock dust 'could save some lives'
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https://www.npr.org/2023/08/11/ [login to see] /coal-miners-say-new-limits-on-rock-dust-could-save-some-lives
Former coal miner Terry Lilly sat down in front of a panel of federal regulators and struggled to speak.
"Excuse me, I have trouble breathing. I'm at 40 percent of my lung capacity," he said.
Lilly, who suffers from the deadly disease black ling, showed up at the hearing Thursday near Beckley, W.Va., in the heart of Appalachian coal country, to support a proposed rule that would limit the amount of deadly silica dust in the air in coal mines.
The problem of severe lung disease from silica dust has been getting worse in recent years, and has been affecting younger miners.
With his words punctuated by gulps of air, Lilly talked about the deception he had seen over 30 years in the industry, including tampering with dust samples.
Former coal miner Terry Lilly sat down in front of a panel of federal regulators and struggled to speak.
"Excuse me, I have trouble breathing. I'm at 40 percent of my lung capacity," he said.
Lilly, who suffers from the deadly disease black ling, showed up at the hearing Thursday near Beckley, W.Va., in the heart of Appalachian coal country, to support a proposed rule that would limit the amount of deadly silica dust in the air in coal mines.
The problem of severe lung disease from silica dust has been getting worse in recent years, and has been affecting younger miners.
With his words punctuated by gulps of air, Lilly talked about the deception he had seen over 30 years in the industry, including tampering with dust samples.
Coal miners say new limits on rock dust 'could save some lives'
Posted from npr.org
Safety
Health
Mining and Metals
Beckley
Posted 9 mo ago
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I Have Relatives Who Worked In Coal Mines And I Did For About Two Weeks, Some Have Passed Away Because Of Black Lung,
Respirators Don’t Work ! They Get Clogged Up In About 15-20 Minutes, So What Some Miners Do Is Wrap A Bandanna Around Their Nose And Mouth . Mines Have Air Circulation Systems That Are Supposed To Draw The Dust Out Of The Work Shaft And What That Does Is Create A Flow Of Dust Instead Of It Hanging In The Air Around The Workers.
It’s Not Only Unhealthy To Inhale But It’s Also An Explosion Hazard !
You Not Only Inhale Silica Dust But Also Coal Dust, The Only Way To Protect Miners From The Dust Is To Use Some Kind Of Self Contained Breathing System , And The Mining Company Will Not Pay For Them, It Cuts Into Their Profits
Respirators Don’t Work ! They Get Clogged Up In About 15-20 Minutes, So What Some Miners Do Is Wrap A Bandanna Around Their Nose And Mouth . Mines Have Air Circulation Systems That Are Supposed To Draw The Dust Out Of The Work Shaft And What That Does Is Create A Flow Of Dust Instead Of It Hanging In The Air Around The Workers.
It’s Not Only Unhealthy To Inhale But It’s Also An Explosion Hazard !
You Not Only Inhale Silica Dust But Also Coal Dust, The Only Way To Protect Miners From The Dust Is To Use Some Kind Of Self Contained Breathing System , And The Mining Company Will Not Pay For Them, It Cuts Into Their Profits
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Genesis Driving The Last Spike (The Way We Walk 1992)
Filmed In November 1992 At Earls Court Exhibition Centre In London.
SPC James Neidig One of My Grandfather died of Black Lung, Not Fun Watching Him Slowly Suffocate, One of My Great Grandfathers Died in a Cave In. I have No Love of the Fossil Fuel Industry! "Can You See Me? Can You Hear Me? Can You Breath?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG9-7WmeSdc
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SPC James Neidig
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
Sorry About Your Grandfather And Great Grandfather !
Hard Rock Coal Mining Is Very Dangerous And Dirty , That Has Killed Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Since Man Discovered That Coal Could Be Used As Fuel,
Here In Pennsylvania Most Of The Coal Mines Are Now Strip Mines, Where They Strip Off Layers Of The Ground To Get Down To The Coal Seems, So You End Up With A Giant Pit Thousands Of Yards Wide And Just As Deep With A Pile Of The Dirt Nearby The Size Of A Mountain , The Good Thing Is It’s Safer For The Miners But Not Good For The Wildlife And The Local Water Supply
Sorry About Your Grandfather And Great Grandfather !
Hard Rock Coal Mining Is Very Dangerous And Dirty , That Has Killed Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Since Man Discovered That Coal Could Be Used As Fuel,
Here In Pennsylvania Most Of The Coal Mines Are Now Strip Mines, Where They Strip Off Layers Of The Ground To Get Down To The Coal Seems, So You End Up With A Giant Pit Thousands Of Yards Wide And Just As Deep With A Pile Of The Dirt Nearby The Size Of A Mountain , The Good Thing Is It’s Safer For The Miners But Not Good For The Wildlife And The Local Water Supply
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""Respirators are effectively a Band Aid in the situation but they're an ineffective and impractical solution when dust levels are high," said Dr. Leonard Go, a University of Illinois pulmonologist.
As he testified, Go looked around the room and saw a lot of coal miners, and their beards.
Those beards get in the way of respirators. So does a hot, loud and strenuous work environment where miners tend to take off their respirators to talk or to take a breath.
"Reliance on respirators in the real world is a mistake, providing a false sense of security that a miner is protected from silica exposure," Go said.
As for Lilly, he says he often talks to younger miners and warns them about the dangers they face.
"It's too late for me. But I'd like these young people to realize, they need to wake up. One of these days, you'll be like me - you can't walk across the parking lot."
A public comment period on the proposed rule ends on September 11. Regulators rebuffed calls by industry interests to extend the comment period for two months and instead extended it by 15 days.
The Labor department will hold a third and final hearing about the proposed silica rule in Denver later this month."
...""Respirators are effectively a Band Aid in the situation but they're an ineffective and impractical solution when dust levels are high," said Dr. Leonard Go, a University of Illinois pulmonologist.
As he testified, Go looked around the room and saw a lot of coal miners, and their beards.
Those beards get in the way of respirators. So does a hot, loud and strenuous work environment where miners tend to take off their respirators to talk or to take a breath.
"Reliance on respirators in the real world is a mistake, providing a false sense of security that a miner is protected from silica exposure," Go said.
As for Lilly, he says he often talks to younger miners and warns them about the dangers they face.
"It's too late for me. But I'd like these young people to realize, they need to wake up. One of these days, you'll be like me - you can't walk across the parking lot."
A public comment period on the proposed rule ends on September 11. Regulators rebuffed calls by industry interests to extend the comment period for two months and instead extended it by 15 days.
The Labor department will hold a third and final hearing about the proposed silica rule in Denver later this month."
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