Save Your Lungs

I want to add another "pro mask" message to the Board. I also have reviewed previous threads here, although I declined to comment. I spent several years litigating black lung cases for UMWA. This involved knowing and understanding the science, familiarity with the studies, working closely with pulmonologists and actually reading and (partially) understanding pulmonology graduate-level books. In SW Va, where I was located, the coal was very low silica, but exposure came from strip mining, in particular, where there was significant quartz exposure. The definition of "black lung" is sufficiently broad to cover silicosis and asbestosis as well as coal dust.) The bottom line is each person is different. There were strip miners that would show the restrictive elements of silicosis after less than a year; there were others that never did. Studies comparing x-rays are not particularly helpful, because lung scarring is only one of the effects from any of the above. Early PFTs also fail to show effects because the lungs have considerable residual capacity that in many people is never used--and in those suffering from lung disease is *gradually* used up. So--ignore studies that are in early years of exposure since they will only demonstrate effects in those who are particularly susceptible. However, MSHA co-sponsored a longitudinal study comparing autopsy results with x-ray results that showed that *many* people had effects from silica, etc. exposure although it didn't show on x-rays, blood gas tests or other PFTs. Did it affect their health? Most likely, since anything that affects the ability of blood flow makes the heart work harder.

It is possible that limited exposure to silica, etc. dust from cabbing may never affect you. However, it is also quite possible that it will--and that you will not feel the effects for years, or that it contributes (even minutely) to the weakening of your heart twenty years down the road.