Coal companies have paid millions of dollars to Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions over the last decade for medical opinions that have been used to deny hundreds of ailing mine workers meager black lung benefits, a yearlong investigation by ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity found. “It is a total, national disgrace,” said Sen. […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Coal miners’ pneumoconiosis was supposed to be gone by now. Years of suffering led to a 1969 law requiring mining companies to control airborne dust inside mines. Safety requirements would prevent exposure to deadly levels of coal dust that literally blacken workers’ lungs and leave them gasping painfully for air. So, why […]
Two years ago this afternoon, a horrific explosion ripped through Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, W.Va. Twenty-nine coal miners died and two others were injured. For many of us, the 2nd anniversary is a time to revisit the disaster, to ask questions about whether enough has been done to prevent another […]
FOCM has launched an initiative to assist the National Black Lung Association in WV, with all proceeds from FOCM shirts dedicated to the organization. Download the pdf
