Coal country faces a deadly black lung epidemic, and the government let it happen.

Black lung disease is killing thousands of coal miners. NPR's year-long investigation with the PBS show FRONTLINE shows the government knew miners were being exposed to highly toxic silica dust, but failed to directly address it.

Matthew Hatcher for NPR Life and death in the coal mines Black lung disease was declining in coal country, but then it came roaring back. NPR and the PBS show FRONTLINE spent months traveling across Appalachia, gathering the stories of coal miners suffering from the most severe stage of the disease. Harold Dotson worried about the dust he was breathing in during his 23-year mining career, but, "You kept your mouth shut," he says. "If you didn't they'd fire you. " Together, Dotson and more than a dozen other men create a portrait of lives torn apart by a deadly disease — and the price they’ve paid to keep America’s lights on. Their stories, in their words Courtesy of Elaine McMillion Sheldon/PBS Frontline NPR and FRONTLINE's investigation The government could have stopped it: As the biggest, purest coal deposits were mined-out in Appalachia, miners had to cut through more rock to get to what was left. That kicked up silica dust — which is 20 times more toxic than coal dust alone. By the mid-'90s, federal regulators knew the risks. They were urged to strengthen regulations. They didn’t do enough, then or since. A missed epidemic: Even though more and more coal miners have been getting sick from exposure to silica dust, the federal agency monitoring the disease missed the epidemic. From 2011 to 2016, federal researchers counted 99 cases of advanced black lung. In a 2016 investigation into the resurgence, NPR's Howard Berkes counted more than 2,000. Calls for change: Federal regulations for silica dust in coal mines haven't changed in decades. But after our reporting, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., chair of the House Labor Committee, said he would hold congressional hearings on the black lung epidemic. “Congress has no choice but to step in,” he said. Watch the film: This week FRONTLINE aired Coal’s Deadly Dust, its documentary of our joint investigation into how the mining industry and the federal government failed to protect workers. Courtesy of Elkem Metals Collection, West Virginia State Archives 'They never knew the real truth' The same deadly silica dust ravaging coal miners today killed hundreds of workers — many of them African-Americans fleeing the South — on a single construction project nearly a century ago. The Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster is still a cautionary tale of the dangers of silica dust — and the government's response to death on its doorstep. Learn more You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002