Editorial: Coal workers' respiratory health must be priority

“Today, we’re making it clear that no job should be a death sentence.”

That should go without saying, but acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su spelled it out Tuesday as she announced new standards for exposure to silica dust.

Silica dust may not sound dangerous, but for some industries it can be a slow killer in the same vein as coal dust or asbestos.

Silicosis, the disease caused by inhaling minuscule fragments of silica, is an interstitial lung disease affecting 2.3 million people in the U.S. annually, according to the American Lung Association. Two million are in construction, where things like concrete, asphalt and countertops can kick up dust. The remaining cases come from other industries, including mining and fracking.

Scarring of the lungs by the tiny chips can cause fibrosis and increased risk of other conditions including lung cancer, kidney disease and autoimmune conditions.

As with its cousins, black lung disease and asbestosis, there isn’t a cure for silicosis. There is only treatment of the condition after the fact and prevention to try to hold it off. Su’s visit was about prevention for miners. The industry is particularly at risk as more silica-rich rock is being cut to reach coal.

New rules will cap exposure at 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air during an eight-hour shift. Another aspect is how those caps are met. Companies can’t just hand out respirators to filter the dust. The requirements are now heavier on controlling the dust before it happens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point to using water suppression as the most effective technique, just as it is for coal dust.

The caps and prevention will be maintained with more rigid enforcement. It’s critical in the Keystone State because Southwestern Pennsylvania has the largest underground coal mining complex in North America.

Coal miner Dave Dayton, 52, of Fairmont, W.Va., applauded the move, saying it had “teeth.” That’s important because, while the dangers of coal dust and silica have been known for about a century, demands to protect workers have been lackluster.

This is not just a labor issue. It’s part of the survival of the energy industry. The workers are the breathing lungs that keep a company functioning. If they aren’t safe, neither is the industry.