Wyoming is the largest coal producer in the United States, providing over 40% of the total coal used in power production. In 2022, Wyoming’s coal mining industry employed about 4000 to 5,000 people in the 15 operational mines. However, only a few cases of black lung disease are reported in Wyoming. Out of the 16,662 claims compensated under the Black Lung Program in the United States as of September 2022, only 25 claims are from Wyoming. Some reports state that more people in Wyoming are affected by coal workers’ respiratory illnesses than those reported.
Miners infected with coal lung illnesses and their survivors can file for Black Lung Act benefits through the Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation (DCMWC). The Black Lung Act defines black lung disease as Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (CWP), emphysema, silicosis, and bronchitis. If you are eligible, you will receive monthly payouts and medical benefits which include prescription drugs, in-patient and out-patient services, and doctors’ visits. Other medical services are also provided with a doctor’s prescription, such as home oxygen and other medical equipment, home nursing services, and pulmonary rehabilitation. Coal mine operators and their insurers are responsible for compensation to miners suffering from coal mining illnesses. Contact black lung attorney Hugh Stephens to help you file a black lung claim or assist with the claim process if you have respiratory problems resulting from your coal mining employment.
Coal employment and related pulmonary diseases
Coal miners are exposed to harmful coal dust, which increases the risk of developing various pulmonary illnesses, including coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), mixed dust pneumoconiosis, dust-related diffuse fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Coal miners are also exposed to crystalline silica dust, which causes silicosis, COPD, and other diseases. These lung diseases can result in impairment, disability, and premature death. Apart from the exposure to coal during the mining process, coal exposure can be harmful on other levels, including coal ash dust and coal-fired power. Short-term exposure to coal ash irritates the nose and throat and may cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Long-term exposure can damage the liver and kidneys and can cause cardiac arrhythmia, and some types of cancers.
Exposure to coal mine dust over a working lifetime can increase the risk of developing serious diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. The risk of developing lung diseases from coal exposure depends on the frequency and duration of exposure. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended respirable coal exposure levels are 1 mg/m3 as a time-weighted average concentration for up to 10 hours a day during a 40-hour work week.
Coal-fired power plants release huge amounts of coal ash into the environment. Coal ash contains substances harmful to human health, such as arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury. It is stored in coal ash ponds, which often leak or flood. However, the Environmental Protection Agency does not classify coal ash as hazardous waste.
During coal burning in power plants, a toxic fine particulate matter is released known as PM2.5. Exposure to PM2.5 from coal-fired power plants is associated with a more than double mortality risk than exposure to PM2.5 from other sources, according to studies by George Mason University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Harvard T.H. Researchers from the Chan School of Public Health also found that 460,000 deaths were attributable to coal PM2.5 from 1999 to 2020—most of them occurring between 1999 and 2007 when coal PM2.5 levels were highest. Studies have also established that an increase of 1 μg/m3 in annual average coal PM2.5 exposure was associated with a 1.12% increase in all-cause mortality.
The 1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act established regulations to protect coal miners. This policy helped reduce the prevalence of the most severe forms of coal-related lung illnesses to a low of 0.08% according to a survey of miners carried out between 1995 and 2000. The act also states that Coal miners diagnosed with pneumoconiosis should be transferred to a different mine or position without discrimination, pay reduction, or termination. The rates and severity of CWP have, however, increased since 2000.
Coal Mining and Coal Exposure
Wyoming has two major coal mining regions: the Rocky Mountain and Northern Great Plains provinces. Wyoming coal mining mostly applies surface mining because most of the coal is uncovered.
A coal miner’s exposure to dust depends on the mining method, techniques used and the miner’s job duties. Underground miners have greater exposure because than open-air surface mines. Some duties such as coal transfer points on conveyor systems may lead to significant dust exposure. Surface mines are still associated with occupational exposure and black lung disease.
Several illnesses are linked to coal mining and they include:
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) – It is a lung disease caused by chronic inhalation of coal dust for which there is no cure. CWP occurs when inhaled coal dust accumulates in the lungs, causing inflammation and lesions called coal macules. CWP can be simple or complicated. Simple CWP is characterized by small nodules of up to 2 mm, consisting of immune and inflammatory cells, collagen fibers, and coal dust. Simple CWP can be asymptomatic or symptomatic. Symptoms include chronic cough, increased phlegm production, and shortness of breath. Simple CWP can develop into progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) ―otherwise known as complicated CWP―as the size of coal nodules increases and begins to tear the surrounding lung tissue. PMF is a rapidly progressive and often fatal disease and it is common in chronically exposed coal workers.
Coal mine dust lung disease (CMDLD) – This is a broader spectrum of diseases associated with exposure to coal dust. It includes silicosis (pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of silica dust), CWP, mixed-dust pneumoconiosis (resulting from exposure to coal and crystalline silica dust), PMF, dust-related diffuse fibrosis, COPD, and chronic airway diseases, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Other coal-related respiratory illnesses – Coal exposure at different levels, including coal mining, residential coal use, and outdoor air pollution can increase rates of other respiratory illnesses that are not included in the definitions of black lung disease or CMDLD. They include lung cancer, asthma (particularly in young children), decreased lung function, and acute lower respiratory infections, particularly in children. Coal exposure is also associated with low birth weight in newborn infants, increased infant mortality, neurological effects, mental illness, cataracts, immune system impairment, cardiovascular problems, and chronic heart, lung, and kidney diseases.
Let us help you file for Black lung benefits in Wyoming
The monthly payouts awarded to affected coal miners under the black lung program vary depending on the number of dependents. In 2024, a primary beneficiary receives a monthly payout of $772.60, while a primary beneficiary with three or more dependents receives $1545.20. Like any other federal benefits, black lung benefits are not taxable.
Are you or your loved one infected with a coal mining-related illness? Contact Hugh Stephens to help you file for your benefits today. Filing for black lung benefits is not easy without the assistance of an experienced black lung benefits attorney. A black lung lawyer will help you through the tedious black lung claim process which entails testifying at a hearing about the miner’s employment and illness, gathering and presenting medical evidence, and challenging a denial, if necessary. Hiring an experienced black lung attorney comes at zero cost, as your employer or the Black Lung Trust Fund pays the fee for representation.