Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Breathless Voices: Personal Accounts of the Resurgence of Black Lung in the Appalachian Coalfields
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly referred to as black lung, is a debilitating chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of coal dust. In the 1960s, the occupational disease affected more than thirty percent of miners. After much contention, the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act was signed into law by President Nixon in 1969. Consequently, rates of black lung sharply declined. This legislation was considered a great success, as roughly 30 years later, only about three percent of miners showed evidence of black lung. However, starting in the early 2000s, prevalence of black lung took an unexpected turn and began to increase once more. Despite legislative efforts, prevalence of black lung is now over sixteen percent in some West Virginia counties. This presentation highlights some of the breathless voices in the coalfields—those fighting for protection and justice for coal miners with black lung and their widows.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Bodenhamer is a PhD candidate in sociology at North Carolina State University. Trained as an environmental and rural sociologist, most of her work focuses on coal-related issues such as environmental and community unrest due to mountaintop removal and most recently occupational illnesses caused by the inhalation of coal dust.
Breathless Voices: Personal Accounts of the Resurgence of Black Lung in the Appalachian Coalfields
Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly referred to as black lung, is a debilitating chronic lung disease caused by the inhalation of coal dust. In the 1960s, the occupational disease affected more than thirty percent of miners. After much contention, the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act was signed into law by President Nixon in 1969. Consequently, rates of black lung sharply declined. This legislation was considered a great success, as roughly 30 years later, only about three percent of miners showed evidence of black lung. However, starting in the early 2000s, prevalence of black lung took an unexpected turn and began to increase once more. Despite legislative efforts, prevalence of black lung is now over sixteen percent in some West Virginia counties. This presentation highlights some of the breathless voices in the coalfields—those fighting for protection and justice for coal miners with black lung and their widows.
