Federal Judge Orders Reinstatement of Coal Miners' Screeners

A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must reinstate nearly 200 workers who screen coal miners for black lung, a deadly and incurable disease caused by inhaling toxic coal dust. The ruling comes after the Trump administration fired most of the staff working on the program as part of massive layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The screening program offers free and confidential chest X-rays to determine whether a coal miner's lung tissue is damaged, and those who are diagnosed with black lung can transfer to a less dusty part of the mine without a pay cut.

Key Takeaways:

• The ruling by U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger compels the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to reinstate nearly 200 workers who screen coal miners for black lung.
• The screening program, mandated by the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, provides free and confidential chest X-rays to coal miners to determine whether their lung tissue is damaged.
• The program also employs epidemiologists who recently concluded that 1 in 5 longtime coal miners in Central Appalachia has black lung, the highest level recorded in 25 years.
• The Trump administration fired most of the staff working on the program as part of massive layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services on April 1.
• The administration temporarily reinstated 30 to 40 of the fired workers on April 30 until June 2, but then removed them from the program again.
• Berger's ruling also came as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the House and Senate about President Donald Trump's budget proposal, which calls for deeply slashing spending for many federal health programs.
• The program offers contracts to radiologists across the country who are certified to evaluate X-rays for black lung, and it also employs epidemiologists who study the effects ofblack lung on coal miners.
• Sam Petsonk, a lawyer for the West Virginia coal miners with black lung, praised the decision but urged the administration to abandon other cuts to health programs across Appalachia.

Statistics:

• 1 in 5 longtime coal miners in Central Appalachia has black lung, the highest level recorded in 25 years (study by epidemiologists employed by the screening program).
• 328 NIOSH employees had been reinstated, including many employees based in Morgantown, West Virginia (testimony by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.).
• The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 mandated the screening program (cited by U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger in her ruling).

Sources:

• The Washington Post
• U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger's ruling
• Testimony by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before the House and Senate
• The Washington Post report on the Trump administration's layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services