10 years ago today. 29 dead at Massey Energy& #39;s Upper Big Branch coal mine in WV. Excessive coal dust. Inadequate ventilation. Uncontrolled methane. 10 yrs later, it& #39;s still a misdemeanor to kill coal miners while violating mine safety laws.
The @NPR investigation of the Upper Big Branch mine disaster evolved into a broader look over 8 years at industry & regulatory failures. Thanks to @franklangfitt @s_reber @AnnaBoikoW @RobertBenincasa @Jingnan_Huo @robertlittle @nprnicole @Kenwardjr https://www.npr.org/series/131960177/massey-mine-investigation">https://www.npr.org/series/13...
@NPR joined with @publicintegrity @ChrisDHamby @JimGMorris @OVReSRC @BHEBecker @JeffYoung8 @frontlinepbs in multiple award-winning investigations of the resurgence of black lung disease, including the discovery of an epidemic of the worst stage of disease. https://www.npr.org/series/156453033/black-lung-returns-to-coal-country">https://www.npr.org/series/15...
A footnote in the independent investigation of the Upper Big Branch coal mine disaster noted an extraordinarily high high rate of black lung disease among the miners killed. That eventually led to this @NPR @OVReSRC @frontlinepbs investigation: https://www.npr.org/2018/12/18/675253856/an-epidemic-is-killing-thousands-of-coal-miners-regulators-could-have-stopped-it">https://www.npr.org/2018/12/1...