Lawyers for one of the nation's largest makers of respirators have opened a new legal front in a longstanding dispute over black lung disease: a suit seeking to hold the former Massey Energy responsible for illnesses that miners have blamed on allegedly faulty breathing devices. Attorneys for Mine Safety Appliances, or MSA, filed the suit Wednesday against Massey's new owner, Alpha Natural Resources, in Mingo Circuit Court. They also named former Massey CEO Don Blankenship as a defendant.
Aim is to end black lung disease among miners ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced the release of a proposed rule on lowering miners' exposure to respirable coal dust in all underground and surface coal mines. The proposed rule is the latest element of MSHA's "End Black Lung - Act Now" campaign.
After an explosion killed 29 coal miners in West Virginia in early April, the Washington Post and the New York Times quickly produced lengthy exposés detailing a plethora of safety breaches that preceded the nation's worst coal mining disaster in a quarter century. Networks and cable television news outlets certainly have reporters in Washington, but they concentrate on politics and the story of the day out of the White House, the Capitol and the most visible departments, such as Defense, State, Justice and Homeland Security. For years, he's been tracking government activity on "float dust," coal dust that floats in the air and can lead to black lung disease and cause fires in underground mines.
Under federal law, coal companies must provide income and medical aid to coal miners who become totally disabled by black lung disease, a condition that happens when miners become exposed to excessive levels of coal dust.
A government spending package agreed to this week by the Obama administration and Congress contains language aimed at blocking - or at least delaying - new limits on coal dust aimed at ending deadly black lung disease. The measure would prohibit the Labor Department from any spending aimed at finalizing the proposal prior to a new review of the matter by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Dear Abby: After a bitter seven-year estrangement from his family, my husband received his grandfather's eulogy in the mail. Abby, this was how his family notified him of his grandfather's death -- two weeks after the fact. We had attempted several reconciliations with no success. A month later, my husband died at the age of 36 -- depressed and suffering from black lung disease. His family blames ME for his depression. Not a single relative of my husband's attended his memorial service despite being given three weeks' notice.
WASHINGTON - Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is speaking out against efforts to bolster regulations aimed at reducing the incidence of black lung disease that often afflicts coal miners, arguing that the measure may prove too costly. Paul's criticism, which came last week at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing, sounded a note similar to one offered by Indiana's 8th District Rep. Larry Bucshon, a Newburgh Republican, in February when he asserted that many miners bring the malady upon themselves.
DEAR ABBY: After a bitter seven-year estrangement from his family, my husband received his grandfather's eulogy in the mail. His father sent it with a note that read, "Here's a copy of the eulogy I read at his funeral." Abby, this was how his family notified him of his grandfather's death - two weeks after the fact. We had attempted several reconciliations with no success. A month later, my husband died at the age of 36 - depressed and suffering from black lung disease. His family blames ME for his depression. Not a single relative of my husband's attended his memorial service despite being given three weeks' notice and my having mailed them formal invitations.
Coal miners disabled by black lung disease will have an easier time collecting benefits because of provisions in the new health- care reform law signed Tuesday by President Obama, according to the United Mine Workers. The union said the legislation restores fairness to a system that made it difficult for miners to obtain benefits. Companies that want to challenge a miner who has worked for at least 15 years and is totally disabled from lung disease, now must prove that the miner either does not have black lung disease or did not become disabled as a result of his job.
According to the United Mine Workers of America, in the last century more than 100,000 miners were killed due to mine disasters. Even today, a coal miner dies every six hours from black lung disease, and these numbers are rising again.
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