14 DAY TRIAL // It is a known fact that coal is one of the world's dirtiest energy sources. Apart from the negative impact it has on the wellbeing of our natural world, it seems that the coal industry is now to be held responsible for countless miners' suffering from black lung disease.
Information recently made public argues that, from 2000 to 2011, the mining industry was repeatedly accused of violating health standards.
More precisely, around 2,400 warnings were issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
However, coal companies seem to have done very little to minimize the health threats their employees had to face.
Otherwise, there is no explanation for the fact that, throughout the past decade, twice as many miners ended up suffering from a condition typically referred to as black lung disease.
Environmental Leader explains that, back in 1969, health organizations pushed for establishing a new legislation aimed at controlling the amount of coal dust miners involuntarily inhaled.
As time went by, new rules and regulations were agreed upon, but apparently more often than not paper-based standards were not enforced when it came to real-life working conditions.
Working close together, the Center for Public Integrity, The Charleston Gazette and NPR found that the miners of Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky – especially the younger ones – now face serious health issues as a result of continuously breathing in toxic silica dust while at work.
Seeing how the US federal government presently controls a large portion of the coal mining industry, it is expected that high officials will soon respond to these charges.
As far as we are concerned, this unfortunate situation only goes to show that switching to green energy sources is not just something we must do for the sake of our environment, but also a “must” in terms of public health.