Dr. Donald Rasmussen, 84, is a pulmonologist in Beckley, W.Va. He figures he’s tested 40,000 coal miners in the last 50 years. David Deal/NPR
Dr. Donald Rasmussen, physician in charge of the Black Lung Laboratory at the Appalachian Regional Hospital in Beckley, W.Va., in June 1974. U.S. National Archives
Mark McCowan, 47, was diagnosed with black lung seven years ago. The disease has since progressed to the worst stage. David Deal/NPR
Mark McCowan of Pounding Mill, Va., ran a longwall mining machine that cut through large swaths of coal quickly, generating huge dust clouds. “By the time I was 40 years old, I had mined more coal than most miners mine in a lifetime,” he said. David Deal/NPR
A coal miner blows into a tube to measure his lung function in a test known as spirometry at Dr. Donald Rasmussen’s clinic. David Deal/NPR
A coal miner performs a lung function test in a mobile clinic run by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Norton, Va. After decades of decline, black lung is back. Its resurgence is concentrated in central Appalachia, and younger miners are increasingly getting the most severe, fastest-progressing form of the disease. Federal regulators are assembling a team of lawyers and other experts to consider how to bolster coal mine dust enforcement given systemic weaknesses revealed by the Center for Public Integrity and NPR. David Deal/NPR
A coal miner receives a chest X-ray at the NIOSH mobile clinic. David Deal/NPR
I’ve been using Aircraft brand stripper for 20 years. It is the most effective and reliable product in my body shop for its purpose. I tried it the other day without this ingredient. It is the most useless stinky horrible stuff I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what this company is going to do now. They are definitely going to go bankrupt. I suppose it’s for the best , but what a bummer. Instead of spending 30 minutes stripping the old paint off of a hood, I spent three hours sanding it off and using tons of electricity and sandpaper.… Read more »
Join the conversation
Show Comments
I’ve been using Aircraft brand stripper for 20 years. It is the most effective and reliable product in my body shop for its purpose. I tried it the other day without this ingredient. It is the most useless stinky horrible stuff I’ve ever seen. I don’t know what this company is going to do now. They are definitely going to go bankrupt. I suppose it’s for the best , but what a bummer. Instead of spending 30 minutes stripping the old paint off of a hood, I spent three hours sanding it off and using tons of electricity and sandpaper.… Read more »