Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Mine Health and Safety Administration Chris Williamson and Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Julie Su spoke Tuesday about the importance of a federal rule limiting silica dust exposure in mines.
“No job should be a death sentence.”
Those were the words of Acting U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su, who was in Uniontown Tuesday to announce the finalization of the new federal Silica Dust Exposure Rule, meant to protect miners from health hazards associated with exposure to the dust.
The rule lowers the permissible exposure limit of silica dust to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air during an 8-hour shift. If a miner’s exposure exceeds that limit, the rule requires mine operators to take immediate corrective actions to come into compliance.
Su said one in five miners are diagnosed with black lung disease despite the industry knowing the dangers of silica dust for decades. Now, she said, miners at much younger ages are being diagnosed with respiratory diseases, like black lung or silicosis, a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling too much silica dust.
“No more,” said Su. “Not on our watch.”
The rule also compels metal and nonmetal mine operators to establish medical surveillance programs, similar to those the coal industry uses to provide periodic health examinations at no cost to miners.
“The companies were never going to do this on their own,” said Dave Dayton, a United Mine Workers of America miner. “This is something that’s not going to just help coal miners, it’s going to help all miners across this country.”
Su said a great deal of credit is owed to miners like Dayton and their unions.
“This rule would not have been possible without miners like Dave, who told their stories, and the unions who helped give them a voice,” said Su.
In addition to reducing the exposure limit, the rule also requires mine operators to use engineering controls to prevent overexposure to silica dust and use dust samplings and environmental evaluations to monitor exposures.
Chris Williamson, assistant secretary for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), said “No miner should ever have to sacrifice their health or lungs to provide for their family.”
Unfortunately, he said, that’s what some miners have had to do.
Inhalation of silica dust, a carcinogen, can cause serious lung disease, like silicosis and lung cancer, but also progressive massive fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and kidney disease. Exposure to a mix of coal mine dust and silica dust can lead to the development of black lung disease and progressive massive fibrosis.
These diseases are irreversible and can be fatal. However, they are 100% preventable, according to WIlliamson.
UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said the union has been advocating for a rule governing silica dust exposure for many years.
“Young miners in their 30s and 40s are getting lung diseases that are being exacerbated by silica dust. What was thought to be a disease of the past is coming back with a vengeance because miners are cutting more rock than ever before,” Roberts said.
While getting the rule in place is a critical first step, Roberts said they are preparing to shift their focus to holding mining companies accountable. While he expects pushback from mining companies, the UMWA is focused on ensuring strict adherence to the new rule within the industry.
One person who could have benefitted from the rule is third-generation miner Marshal Cummings. The Wyoming man, who also spoke on Tuesday, started working in the mine five days before he graduated high school.
He was first notified that he was overexposed to silica in 2011.
“I never heard of the level of exposure, nor am I aware of any practice that is limiting exposures to this day,” he said.
Since he works in a metal/nonmetal mine, they don’t have the same standards as coal. Once he became aware of the dangers of exposure, he went through the proper channels in his company; however, he said they failed to take any meaningful steps. He then turned to his union to spread the word about the dangers of overexposure.
“My story is one example of how metal nonmetal mining companies will react – or more accurately – not react,” said Cummings. “The first priority and concern of all in the coal or other mine industries must be the health and safety of their most precious resource: the miners.”
He said his most precious moments are spent with his family.
“These are the best parts of life, but I worry that with my exposure in the mines they may have already taken away from my health later in life,” Cummings said.
While the rule has been finalized, it will not go into effect for one year for coal and two years for metal/nonmetal mines, according to Su.
“The story here is this long history and the experience of miners tells us the dangers of silica dust are not new,” said Su. “That’s why a standard is so important because If we don’t have a standard in place that protects miners from exposure and a standard that also has consequences for noncompliance. For too long we’ve basically accepted that this exposure is the cost of having a job. There should be no job that the cost of doing it is sickness or death.”
