Dec 10 Health Study Shows Surface Coal Miners Are Exposed To Toxic Dust That Causes Black Lung Appalachian surface coal miners are consistently overexposed to toxic silica dust, according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and surface mine dust contains more silica than does dust in underground coal mines. The research is the first to specifically analyze long-term data on exposure to toxic silica dust for […] By Sydney Boles Dec 10 Health Study Shows Surface Coal Miners Are Exposed To Toxic Dust That Causes Black Lung Sydney Boles
Dec 6 Health Mountain Air: Youth Help Identify Causes Of Ohio Valley’s High Lung Disease Rates Isabella Back, 18, pulls her jacket tight around herself as she crosses the gravel driveway. “So we’re going about 10 feet from my house to my dad’s workshop,” she says, and pushes through a door in a big, red barn. The Kona, Kentucky, shop is crowded with cluttered work tables and hulking machines, and the […] By Sydney Boles Dec 6 Health Mountain Air: Youth Help Identify Causes Of Ohio Valley’s High Lung Disease Rates Sydney Boles
Dec 5 Health New SNAP Rule Could Hit Ohio Valley Hardest The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates almost 700,000 people across the country will lose food stamps in a new Trump Administration rule announced Wednesday. Regional anti-hunger advocates and policy analysts say the Ohio Valley — and Appalachia in particular — could be disproportionately affected by this rule. In general, the rule will make it harder […] By Liam Niemeyer Dec 5 Health New SNAP Rule Could Hit Ohio Valley Hardest Liam Niemeyer
Nov 26 Health Study Shows Ohio Valley’s Premature Deaths Driving Down National Longevity Rates A new medical study shows that after decades of increasing life expectancy across the country, people are living shorter lives. And that trend is in part driven by premature deaths among people in the Ohio Valley due to the opioid epidemic, suicide and alcohol abuse. The article published Tuesday in the Journal of the American […] By Mary Meehan Nov 26 Health Study Shows Ohio Valley’s Premature Deaths Driving Down National Longevity Rates Mary Meehan
Nov 22 Health MSHA Comment Period Shows Divide on Measures to Protect Miners Health The comment period has closed for the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s proposed rule on respirable silica, a major contributor to skyrocketing rates of lung disease among coal miners. The 49 relevant comments included a striking testimony from an anonymous coal miner sharing details of the ways in which current mine operators cheat on dust […] By Sydney Boles Nov 22 Health MSHA Comment Period Shows Divide on Measures to Protect Miners Health Sydney Boles
Nov 19 Health Black Lung Trust Fund Likely Burdened by Murray Bankruptcy The recent bankruptcy of Murray Energy is likely to significantly increase the debt of a struggling federal trust fund that supports disabled miners’ health care expenses. According to court filings, Murray Energy could be responsible for as much as $155 million under the Black Lung Act and general workers’ compensation, but testimony from the Government Accountability […] By Sydney Boles Nov 19 Health Black Lung Trust Fund Likely Burdened by Murray Bankruptcy Sydney Boles
Nov 15 Health Homelessness And Health Costs: This Kentucky Mom Faced Cancer While Living In Her Car Cancer was what finally pushed Kristi Reyes into living in her car. The mother of four had worked all her life, starting at age 7 when she helped out at her family’s furniture store. Most of her work was in retail. It was paycheck-to-paycheck but she kept her kids together and a roof over their […] By Mary Meehan Nov 15 Health Homelessness And Health Costs: This Kentucky Mom Faced Cancer While Living In Her Car Mary Meehan
Oct 23 Health Advocacy Group Finds Trace Contamination In Many Regional Water Systems Tap water delivered by more than 2,000 water systems across the Ohio Valley contain pollutants, many harmful to human health, even though they mostly meet federal drinking water standards. That’s according to a newly-updated database released by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization. Millions of residents in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are being […] By Brittany Patterson Oct 23 Health Advocacy Group Finds Trace Contamination In Many Regional Water Systems Brittany Patterson
Oct 18 Health How Should Opioid Lawsuit Money Be Spent? Ohio Valley Has No Shortage Of Needs At a town hall event in Logan, Ohio, Kelly Taulbee walks through the steps of an encounter with someone experiencing an opioid overdose. She’s training a group to use NARCAN, the opioid reversal medication. She pulled out the small applicator and demonstrated how easy it is to spray the medication in someone’s nose. As the […] By Aaron Payne Oct 18 Health How Should Opioid Lawsuit Money Be Spent? Ohio Valley Has No Shortage Of Needs Aaron Payne