The benefit payments miners sick with black lung disease receive are not keeping pace with the cost of living, a new analysis showed.

Current monthly benefits for a miner and one dependent in 2024 are around $1,100, more than $3,000 lower than the average cost of living for a two-person household.

Quenton King, federal legislative specialist for Appalachian Voices, said lagging benefits are especially troubling when miners are increasingly developing black lung at younger ages, largely due to exposure to toxic silica dust.

"Younger miners are getting diagnosed with stage-three black lung, and they're having to quit mining in their 30s or 40s," King observed. "They're losing possibly 20 years, 30 years of work history, and they're unable to draw down that retirement fund."

Around 16% of the nation's coal workers are living with black lung, and after decades of improvement, the number of cases is on the rise again, according to the American Lung Association.

One National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study found modern coal miners, particularly those in Central Appalachia, are more likely than their predecessors to die from coal worker's pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

King pointed out although the coal industry in on the decline, thousands of coal miners and their families living in Appalachian communities are affected daily by the disease.

"Something I hear from people in the Black Lung Association, one of the heartbreaking things for me is that they're not able to play with their grandchildren, because they are on oxygen tanks," King noted.

Appalachian advocacy groups sent a letter to Congress asking for budget legislation prioritizing investments in curbing black lung and supporting miners already living with the disease. Proposed federal legislation, known as the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, would tie benefit levels to cost-of-living adjustments, rather than the federal pay scale.


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United Nations experts are raising concerns about chemical giants DuPont and Chemours, saying they've violated human rights in North Carolina.

At a virtual news conference this week, a UN representative said these companies have been releasing harmful PFAS chemicals into the environment near the lower Cape Fear River.

Emily Donovan, co-founder of the group Clean Cape Fear, said more than 300 different chemicals in their water led them to seek help from the UN. She said getting clean and safe drinking water has been an issue for decades, and local residents continue to suffer the consequences.

"The amount of sicknesses and illnesses happening in our region is incredibly depressing and hurtful," said Donovan.

Last fall, she said, the UN wrote to the companies expressing concern. In their responses, DuPont denied responsibility for a Fayetteville Works Plant, a suspected contamination source, and Chemours claimed it has reduced its PFAS releases and exposure.

Donovan said they're still figuring out how widespread the pollution is. They know it affects eight counties, about a half-million people and around 10,000 wells. With Chemours planning an expansion and perhaps even importing international waste, she said the situation is becoming dire for local communities.

"We are tired of being a sacrifice zone," she added.

Dr. Marcos Orellana, special rapporteur on toxics and human rights for the United Nations, warns that PFAS chemicals are a danger worldwide. He criticized companies that refuse to acknowledge the potential dangers and don't do more to protect residents.

"The concerns in regards to Cape Fear and the Fayetteville Works are extremely concerning," he said, "because of disinformation spread by companies, because of the dumping and pollution, inadequate controls that have affected people's access to clean drinking water."

The letter called on the companies to take action to prevent PFAS exposure and protect local residents. The UN has also contacted state and federal regulators, demanding that they seek greater accountability from polluters. Orellana said the U.S. government has yet to respond.


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Spokane has joined a lawsuit against the manufacturers of toxic chemicals known as PFAS after the discovery of the chemicals in parts of the city's drinking water.

PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, are linked to cancer and other health effects and have been found at high levels in the West Plains near Spokane International Airport.

Chuck Danner lives in the area and said a test found he had twice the average rate of the chemicals in his blood. He stopped drinking water from his well and noted the body metabolizes the chemicals eventually.

"But it takes up to 40 years to metabolize one of the chemicals out of your body, and it's a lengthy thing," Danner pointed out. "I won't live that long, so it's going to be with me forever."

Danner argued the PFAS crisis has hurt his property value and caused him mental anguish. He added his daughter has thyroid disease, which could be connected to PFAS in his water well. The organization West Plains Water Coalition has been working to bring justice for community members.

The PFAS came from firefighting foam used at the Spokane airport.

Jeff DeBray, eastern Washington director for the progressive group Fuse Washington, said the airport and West Plains are in part of the city represented by Commissioner Al French, who served on the Airport Board. DeBray emphasized the commissioner initially put roadblocks in the way of investigating this issue.

"We're interested in protecting public health for people, and immediately to me that is centered around accountability," DeBray asserted. "We have a basic expectation that our public officials will be invested in protecting the health of citizens."

In response, French said it is a national issue and he has been working alongside state and federal governments to unveil a solution this week. He also noted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency only recently unveiled a PFAS water standard.

Danner said he expects a response to rectify the issue.

"I would like to see them accept responsibility and be held accountable for what has taken place," Danner stressed. "The least of that would be to provide a filter system for my well and/or clean drinking water."

Marylanders shopping for fresh produce may want to consider a new report that finds chemical residues in much of the crop. In its 2024 "Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce," the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found residue of potentially harmful pesticides on 75% of all conventionally grown produce tested.

The group relied on data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, which tested more than 47,000 samples of 46 different fruits and vegetables.

Alexa Friedman, senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, said pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems.

"Things like cardio metabolic disorders, different types of diabetes, as well as some cancers," Friedman outlined. "If you are exposed to multiple pesticides over the course of a lifetime, they might lead to a greater risk in any of these health outcomes."

Many of the fruits and vegetables were washed and peeled prior to testing. Nonorganic strawberries were found to be the most contaminated item. The state of Maryland has more than 12,000 farms but as of 2022, only 62 farms in the state were certified organic.

The Shoppers Guide features a Dirty Dozen list of the most contaminated fruits and vegetables. It includes spinach, kale, grapes and peaches. There's also a Clean Fifteen list of conventionally grown produce found to be low in pesticide contamination, including avocados, papaya, mangos and carrots.

Friedman emphasized they encourage people to buy organic when possible.

"We always recommend continuing to consume fruits and vegetables, and up your fruit and vegetable intake," Friedman noted. "If you are interested in purchasing organic versions of the produce that's on the Dirty Dozen, there are also some more budget-friendly options in the frozen aisles."

In addition to pesticides, the report found high concentrations of fungicides, which are used to avoid such diseases as powdery mildew and are also applied to harvested produce to prevent mold. The report said fungicides are less studied than other pesticides but emerging evidence suggests some may disrupt hormone systems in the body. While the quantities of pesticides detected are within allowed amounts, Friedman stressed people should still be cautious.

"Even if the amount of pesticides are within legal limits on these produce, it doesn't mean it's safe for everyone, particularly susceptible populations like children," Friedman cautioned.


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