Howard Berkes, Public Health Watch, Author at Mountain State Spotlight

New study: Black lung disease rate in Appalachia is the worst in nearly 50 years as coal miner protections stall

by Howard Berkes, Public Health Watch and Justin Hicks, Louisville Public Media August 5th, 2026August 5th, 2026

It’s now as bad as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick and dying.

Federal mine safety regulators finally focus on silica dust – with thousands of miners sick and dying

by Howard Berkes, Public Health Watch and Justin Hicks, Louisville Public Media April 16th, 2024April 17th, 2024

The federal fix for silica dust understates what we found: thousands of coal miners still sick and dying

by Howard Berkes, Public Health Watch and Justin Hicks, Louisville Public Media August 31st, 2023August 30th, 2023