Nursing Coal Miner Workers Despite the fact that coal mines produce our country's coal, the conditions and safety for the workers is often deplorable. Personal events are recounted by Susan, a retired nurse. Black Lung Disease Black lung disease is actually a common name for any lung disease that develops from inhaling coal dust. The name comes from the fact that those with the disease have lungs that look black instead of pink. The technical name for this condition is coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). There are two types, simple CWP and complicated CWP, which involves progressive massive fibrosis. The inhalation and accumulation of coal dust into the lungs increases the risk of developing chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The cause of this condition comes from working in a coal mine, or other coal industries. The dust in the lungs may appear and get worse during the exposure to the dust or after the exposure has ceased. Related: Nursing In a Reality Series Nursing in Coal Mining Communities During an internship, I spent 3 months working as a nurse in a coal mining town. This was a very poor community, with a high school graduation rate of only 9%. College was essentially unheard of, and it was expected that as the male population quit school around the age of 16, they would go to work in the coal mines. The girls either married out of school, or went to work in and around the coal mines. The teen pregnancy rate in this area was at 44%, so much of the medical care was provided to expectant mothers, most of them very young. I was very surprised that a majority of the residents had never been more than about a 50-mile radius of their town, it was a very small world. Some residents felt upper management paid wages in a range that only allowed survival, in order to keep them in the coal mines working. About 50% of the patients seen at the community health center had black lung disease. Most would continue working at their jobs until they could literally no longer breath. Treating these patients was very difficult, they all knew what was coming, and that there was no cure for their condition. The constant coughing and vomiting made for a miserable life when the condition worsened in the patient's. The attending doctors visited the community center weekly, and often commented about diagnosing a new case of black lung disease each week. Working for only 3 months does not seem long to
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