The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirms 416 cases of progressive massive fibrosis, or complicated black lung, in three clinics in southwestern Virginia from 2013 to 2017. The clinics serve patients with black lung from Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. In the 1990s, the clinics saw five to seven cases in a year, but they’re now seeing that many every 2 weeks.
NIOSH published their research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association on February 6, 2018. You can read the letter here, and learn about black lung here.
