Silica dust is behind a dramatic increase in the number of miners becoming ill with the most severe form of black lung disease.
Blog Archives
Nuclear Company Pursues Plans to Refine Uranium in Erwin, Tennessee
As Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., pursues plans to begin producing refined uranium in Erwin, Tenn., local environmental and safety advocates are objecting.
Landfill Remediation Raises New Concerns
As remediation of the troubled Bristol landfill begins, community advocates are petitioning for an alert system, increased air quality monitoring and relief measures for residents who experience strong airborne pollution at home.
Are We Really Recycling?
A look at our recycling systems reveals less of our plastic is actually being recycled than one might think.
Clearing the Air on How Wood Pellet Factories Affect Their Neighbors and the Climate
The wood pellet industry is growing in the American South, but communities near wood pellet plants are seeing damages to air and water quality. As new facility proposals from wood pellet companies like Enviva continue, local residents and regional climate activists are speaking out.
Turning Coal Ash into Art
In Walnut Cove — a community whose history has been tainted by coal ash for decades — The Lilies Project has turned coal ash into art, and is expanding to encompass the town’s story beyond coal ash.
TAGS: Belews Creek Power Plant Coal Ash Duke Energy North Carolina stokes county the lilies project Walnut Cove
Bills Aim to Help Miners with Black Lung and Surviving Family Access Benefits
Miners with black lung disease face a difficult process to obtain modest benefits, as do their widows. Two bills in Congress aim to help miners with the disease and their bereaved families, including by tying benefit levels to inflation.
TAGS: Black Lung Black Lung Benefits black lung disease Coal mining legislation miners widows' benefits
Fighting for Black Lung Benefits for Miners and Families
Kathryn South’s husband, Mike South, was diagnosed with black lung disease at age 35. As they grappled with his disease, the couple also navigated the arduous legal process to obtain federal black lung benefits, a fight that Kathryn continued even after Mike’s passing.
Contaminants Found in East Tennessee Springs
Springs are often assumed to be a safe, clean source of drinking water. But they can harbor a number of health hazards, as new research published in the journal Geosciences shows.
As EPA Prepares to Update Federal Air Quality Limits, Coal Dust Looms Large in Eunice
Frustrated with constant coal dust, residents of Eunice, West Virginia, asked the state to install an air quality monitoring device in their community. The request was denied.
TAGS: Air Pollution air quality coal community coal dust Coal River Valley national ambient air quality standards particulate matter PM 2.5 West Virginia West Virginia Division of Air Quality West Virginia Division of Mining and Reclamation
