July 20, 2024 - Coal miners will have the opportunity for free and confidential black lung screening next week in Morgantown and Kingwood the week after.

“We’re going to provide you an X-ray, a lung function test, and some health and work history questionnaires,” Chris Parker, public health adviser and field coordinator for the Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program, said. “Everything should take about 30 minutes, in and out so you can go on with your day. Taking that little 30-minute break out of your day and getting a free health checkup could be something that’s really valuable to their lives.”

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health offers the free screening program as part of a Congressional mandate. The Coal Workers Health Surveillance program sets up screening facilities all across the country. Mines are required by law to select two of these facilities for their miners to go to during the open period, which happens every five years.

The NIOSH mobile testing unit will be at Mylan Park, in Morgantown, July 26-27 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. to provide free, confidential black lung screenings to coal miners.

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However, situations exist where coal miners can’t make it to the designated facility, due to transportation, distance or scheduling. Sometimes the facilities may be up to 100 miles away. Because of this, participation is around 40%.

In response, the program created mobile screenings to bring those opportunities directly to the miners. Finding ways to raise participation is important, because experts are seeing a higher prevalence of disease in younger coal miners.

“Some of the factors include the way the geology is nowadays,” Parker said. “They’re cutting more rock than they are coal, the coal seam is maybe getting thinner. So, you have to drill into more rock and that rock creates rock dust which essentially is silica. That leads to silicosis.”

Increased production allowed by more efficient machines can also generate more clouds of dust, which engineering controls may not be sufficiently keeping down. Regardless of the cause, what is clear is more and more miners are developing severe forms of the disease.

According to data from Black Lung Clinics in 11 states, 1,177 cases of the most severe and debilitating form of black lung were identified in coal miners located in Appalachia. The disease is concentrated in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Parker said the program has been focusing heavily on Central Appalachia to get a better understanding of the disease’s prevalence in the area.

“The NIOSH mobile unit plays an important role in the early detection of black lung disease,” NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, said in a press release. “When caught early, steps can be taken to help prevent black lung from progressing to the most serious forms of the disease.”

Parker also wants to tackle the myth that black lung has mostly gone away. It’s not true, if anything its resurging, he said. He urges miners to take appropriate precautions and perform regular health screenings. He advocated for wearing protective devices or ensuring engineering controls within the coal mine are being maintained.

The screening will be on July 23-25 at Mylan Park in Morgantown. Anyone who misses it will have a second chance in Kingwood on July 30, when the mobile unit will be at Craig Civic Center on Tunnelton Street. The screenings will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Screenings are confidential by law.

“We can’t force anyone to do any medical examination, but we’re providing that opportunity for them,” Parker said. “Again, our services are free, so there’s that incentive. It’s all about increasing participation and surveillance of the disease. It’s just a good opportunity.”