Thousands Of Coal Miners Eligible for Free Chest X-rays

May 3, 2002
The "Miners' Choice Health Screening" is an\r\nattempt to determine the depth and scope of black lung disease among U.S. coal miners.

I''m going to share something personal with you: My grandfather died from complications related to black lung disease. He was a coal miner in West Virginia and Virginia for many years and waited until it was too late to have his respiratory problems checked out by a physician.

That is why it is so important to spread the news that thousands of active U.S. coal miners are eligible for free, confidential chest X-rays to detect work-related lung diseases under a program initiated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

The "Miners'' Choice Health Screening" is offering free, confidential chest X-rays to selected coal miners nationwide in an attempt to determine the depth and scope of black lung disease among U.S. coal miners. "We encourage all eligible miners to take part in this program," said Dave D. Lauriski, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "The statistics being gathered will help to gauge progress and plan the next steps in preventing black lung."

Under the program, approximately 6,700 miners are eligible for the free chest X-rays. MSHA will inform all miners who are eligible, and miners can get the tests from a mobile X-ray van that will visit near their work sites. The X-rays go to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which coordinates readings and will notify each tested miner of individual findings.

Nearly 18,000 miners nationwide have taken advantage of the free chest X-rays since the program began in 1999. States with 100 or more eligible miners are Wyoming (1,774), Illinois (603), Indiana (378), West Virginia (1,661), Washington (552), Montana (369), Virginia (619), Pennsylvania (383) and Oklahoma (104).

The X-rays will be available through Sept. 30. Retired miners or nonworking miners are not eligible.

by Sandy Smith ([email protected])

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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