coal miners

The safety rules being announced and finalized today will hold mines to the same standard for silica dust exposure as other employers. These x-rays show black lung disease.

New federal safety rules on silica dust aim to protect miners' lungs

8:08pm April 16, 2024

Addressing a problem first identified 50 years ago, federal regulators say stricter new rules to limit miners' exposure to silica dust are expected to finally go on the books on Tuesday.

Radhika (15), Anjali (16), Suman (21), and Suhani (15) in July 2022 perform a dance routine near the village of Sahana Pahari, Jharia.

A dance of hope by children who scavenge coal

3:40pm February 18, 2023

Kids in India illegally collect bits of coal to sell so they can help their families. To give them a chance for a brighter future, an local educator gives them lessons in academics and the arts.

Mine workers are surrounded by dust as a drill bit chews into the wall of the mine.

In eastern Ukraine's coal fields, Russia's invasion sparks hopes of a comeback

2:11pm July 06, 2022

Ukraine's coal industry was in decline. Now miners find themselves in the middle of a war with Russia — and global demand for coal is rising.

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National

All He's Ever Wanted Is To Mine Coal. How Long Can He Chase His Dream?

5:11pm July 04, 2018

Kyle Johnson is a young man who wants to be a coal miner more than anything. NPR's Embedded podcast follows his search for a job in a region where the future of coal is in question.

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Excised and preserved lungs on display at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, W.Va., in 2012, show the dramatic effect of black lung disease.

Ky. Lawmakers Didn't Consult Federal Experts About Limiting Black Lung Claims Reviews

8:28pm April 09, 2018

The federal agency that certifies physicians who diagnose black lung confirms it was not consulted, while medical groups call for repeal of the state law that they say will hurt sick coal miners.

A machine coined "The Enrober" provides the "Willy Wonka moment" of MoonPie-making, when the treats are propelled under a gooey chocolate waterfall.

Even After 100 Years, People Are Still Reaching For The Moon(Pie)

9:18am November 25, 2017

by Melanie Peeples

Though the marshmallow-chocolate-graham cracker treat began a century ago as a coal-miner's snack, it is still made by the same Chattanooga bakery and has since become a cultural icon of the South.

In this picture released by the Tasnim News Agency, miners and rescue personnel carry an injured mine worker after a coal mine explosion, near Azadshahr in northern Iran. (AP Photo/Tasnim News Agency, Mostafa Hassanzadeh)

World News

More Than 20 People Reportedly Killed In Iranian Coal Mine Blast

4:46pm May 03, 2017

by Jim Kane

Iranian state media say at least 21 miners died and scores more were injured in the mine in northern Iran. More than a dozen people were thought to still be trapped in the mine.

James Bounds is a West Virginia miner with black lung disease; it took him 4 1/2 years to get compensation benefits. A provision in Obamacare later made qualifying for those benefits much easier.

Obamacare Repeal Threatens A Health Benefit Popular In Coal Country

10:58am January 24, 2017

by Kara Lofton

The Affordable Care Act made it faster and easier for a coal miner with black lung to get compensation benefits. Many in coal country want that provision retained, even if the larger law is repealed.

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President-elect Donald Trump's promises to bring back miner jobs and open mines again appealed to many voters in coal country.

Coal Country Picked Trump. Now, They Want Him To Keep His Promises

6:30pm January 01, 2017

Voters in coal country overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump. They liked his promises to create jobs, even if they didn't like his other rhetoric. Now, they're waiting to see if coal can make a comeback.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health sent a mobile testing unit to a fire station in Wharton, W.Va., in 2012 to screen coal miners for black lung disease.

Lawmakers Seek Better Count Of Advanced Black Lung Disease Cases

8:44pm December 21, 2016

by Howard Berkes

In response to an NPR investigation that shows 10 times the number of cases as currently reported, members of Congress are asking three federal agencies to work together to obtain an accurate count.