Cases of black lung are surging on the Navajo Nation, but miners lack care [Video]

Cases of black lung are surging on the Navajo Nation, but miners lack care

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/3zeF6Ch

As cases of black lung among former coal miners on the Navajo Nation surge, a new study points to inequality in health outcomes faced by Indigenous people in the western United States.

Alex Osif, a former coal miner and Benefits Coordinator for Canyonlands Healthcare in Chilchinbito, Arizona, says over the fall of 2023, cases of black lung boomed in the area.

“Three months ago, I had only six. [Now] I’m past 50,” said Osif of the increase in black lung cases.

In a partnership with KSJD News in Cortez, Colorado, Rocky Mountain PBS is reporting on respiratory disease related to coal mining in the Four Corners region.

——————————————————

Follow Rocky Mountain PBS on our other platforms, too.
• Newsletter: https://www.rmpbs.org/newsletter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rmpbs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmpbs
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rocky-mountain-pbs

Tags Coal, Coal Mining, USA Coal Miner