Federal black lung ruling delayed until October

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) — A federal rule that would limit coal miners’ exposure to silica dust has been delayed until October.

The rule was originally set to go into effect in April, but was then delayed until August. And earlier this month, it was pushed back until October.

If the ruling had passed, it would have gone into effect on Monday.

Silica dust is a leading factor of black lung disease among coal miners. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of coal miners in Central Appalachia are suffering from black lung—the highest rate detected in 25 years.

Sam Petsonk, a mine safety lawyer, says younger coal miners are getting black lung because of a lack of easily accessible coal.

“We’ve got miners cutting through five feet of sandstone to reach a 20-inch coal seam, and that is an extreme amount of silica exposure. And we have young miners who have black lung who are getting very sick very quick,” Petsonk said.

He says these young miners have already reached a deadly level of silica dust exposure after working 20 years.

“By the time they reach early to mid-forties, they have had so much exposure that they are looking at a double lung transplant or else they’re going to die,” Petsonk said.

If passed in October, Petsonk says this rule would set the silica dust exposure to a limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter.

“And this rule would require that when the dust gets up to 25 micrograms per cubic meter, that mine operators start to increase their dust control and dust protection to avoid any risk that the exposures would exceed 50 micrograms,” Petsonk said.

Petsonk says several industry groups say it will be too expensive to reduce silica dust levels, which is resulting in the delays.

He says there is currently no enforceable limit on the amount of silica dust in mines, and this ruling would change that.