Despite the fact that coal mines produce our country's coal,
the conditions and safety for the workers is often deplorable.
Black Lung Disease
Black lung disease is actually a common name for any lung
disease that develops from inhaling coal dust. The name comes from the fact
that those with the disease have lungs that look black instead of pink. The
technical name for this condition is coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). There
are two types, simple CWP and complicated CWP, which involves progressive
massive fibrosis. The inhalation and
accumulation of coal dust into the lungs increases the risk of developing
chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The cause of this condition comes from working in a coal
mine, or other coal industries. The dust in the lungs may appear and get worse
during the exposure to the dust or after the exposure has ceased.
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Nursing in Coal Mining Communities
During an internship, I spent 3 months working as a nurse in
a coal mining town. This was a very poor
community, with a high school graduation rate of only 9%. College was essentially unheard of, and it
was expected that as the male population quit school around the age of 16, they
would go to work in the coal mines. The
girls either married out of school, or went to work in and around the coal
mines. The teen pregnancy rate in this
area was at 44%, so much of the medical care was provided to expectant mothers,
most of them very young. I was very
surprised that a majority of the residents had never been more than about a 50-mile
radius of their town, it was a very small world. Some residents felt upper management paid
wages in a range that only allowed survival, in order to keep them in the coal
mines working.
About 50% of the patients seen at the community health
center had black lung disease. Most
would continue working at their jobs until they could literally no longer
breath. Treating these patients was very
difficult, they all knew what was coming, and that there was no cure for their
condition. The constant coughing and
vomiting made for a miserable life when the condition worsened in the
patient's. The attending doctors visited
the community center weekly, and often commented about diagnosing a new case of
black lung disease each week. Working
for only 3 months does not seem long to hear, yet that was the longest 3 months
anyone could imagine. There were deaths
almost daily, and it amazed me that the deaths were almost all due to the coal
mines. There were regulations on wearing protective masks, however,
surprisingly 99% of the workers opted not to wear them. I always regretted not asking why they would
not wear the protective masks, however, I heard through the rumor that upper
management frowned on the masks fearing it slowed production down. The future looked grim for the residents of
the community, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A state nursing coalition set out to provide
education and more medical services to the community. The number, of workers
wearing masks increased to 50%, and over the next 5 years, the new cases of
black lung disease dropped by 35%. Over
the following decade, a continuing education program was started to offer a
variety of trainings to those interested in the health care field. Today they have a community health center
that is staffed full time. Each year
scholarships are offered to a number of students, and the graduation rate has
increased to 52%.
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This community was fortunate that there were outside
interest to assist and offer solutions to the medical problems that affected so
many. There have been some improvements
to safety in this industry, however sadly, many still suffer the effects of
their profession, and die of black lung disease. If you ever have the opportunity to provide
community work for a project, consider this type of area, that exists right
here on our own soil.
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