Exposure to toxic silica dust is driving an increase in black lung cases among miners across Appalachia.

“We’ve buried too many friends, too many fathers, and too many sons because of black lung,” said Brian Sanson, the secretary-treasurer of United Mine Workers of America, in an August 15 statement. “Bowing to corporate interests doesn’t solve the problem; it puts more miners at risk. The science is clear, the rule is needed, and the delay is shameful.”