After decades of delays and broken promises, coal miners hail rule to slow rise of black lung

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A half-century ago, top U.S. health experts urged the federal agency in charge of mine safety to adopt strict rules protecting miners from poisonous rock dust. The inaction since has contributed to the premature deaths of thousands from pneumoconiosis, or “black lung.” The problem has become more severe as miners dig through more layers of rock to get to less accessible coal, generating deadly silica dust in the process. A proposal from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration would halve the current silica exposure limit, mirroring the standard for non-mining industries. And it’s the standard the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was recommending as far back as 1974.