Durham Miner Project - Lung Disease Surveillance in Coal Miners

Lung Disease Surveillance in Coal Miners - Timeline

by D. Miner

Early 19th Century Coal workers ‘pneumoconiosis ‘ recognised by doctors. Engles describes the ‘saturation of miner’s lungs with dust the black mucous expectoration and coughing – Engles 1844

Mid-Late 19th Century A flurry of safety regulations of limited strength including
–2 shafts in every pit
- inquiries into mining accidents
- NUM has right to appoint inspectors to inspect mines on their behalf

Early 20th Century Mine accidents (Rescue and Aid) Act. Royal commission on Health and Safety in Mines. 1913 – 1/713 death rate, 1/7 serious injury rate, no data collected on lung disease or coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP)

1947/1952 Nationalisation of the mines
Formation of the pneumoconiosis field research programme 1959: 11.2% CWP

1959/1967 Ongoing data collection allows for assessment of lung disease and disability “ Profile of a typical Disabled Durham coal miner: He is 50 years old and has worked in the colliery all his life. He has a 65% likelihood of having either pneumoconiosis or some pit injury and there is only a 30% chance that he will have been registered as a disabled person”. (Grammer 1967)

1975/1986 British Coal Mines respirable dust standard
Increasing use of dust suppression methods
Use of most effective system – Coanda Tube – limited
Pre 1975: 4% CWP
1986: 0.6% CWP
1980/81: 1/7250 death rate
1/470 serious injury rate

1990s Increasing interest in compensating chronic bronchitis and emphysema as occupational illnesses – separate from evidence of CWP. Concern of CWP was dust due to mechanisation
1993: 0.025% CWP

1998/1999 Landmark court decision six former coal miners who suffered lung damage compensated because mines did not do enough to prevent disease

1999-Present Miners continue to file claims and seek damages for lung diseases caused by the inhalation of coal dust
NUM plays a vital role

Digitised by Helen Davison

Early 19th Century		Coal workers ‘pneumoconiosis ‘ recognised by doctors. Engles describes the ‘saturation of miner’s lungs with dust the black mucous expectoration and coughing – Engles 1844

Mid-Late 19th Century		A flurry of safety regulations of limited strength including –2 shafts in every pit - inquiries into mining accidents - NUM has right to appoint inspectors to inspect mines on their behalf

Early 20th Century		Mine accidents (Rescue and Aid) Act. Royal commission on Health and Safety in Mines. 1913 – 1/713 death rate, 1/7 serious injury rate, no data collected on lung disease or coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP)

1947/1952		Nationalisation of the mines Formation of the pneumoconiosis field research programme 1959: 11.2% CWP

1959/1967		Ongoing data collection allows for assessment of lung disease and disability “ Profile of a typical Disabled Durham coal miner: He is 50 years old and has worked in the colliery all his life. He has a 65% likelihood of having either pneumoconiosis or some pit injury and there is only a 30% chance that he will have been registered as a disabled person”. (Grammer 1967)

1975/1986		British Coal Mines respirable dust standard Increasing use of dust suppression methods Use of most effective system – Coanda Tube – limited Pre 1975: 4% CWP 1986: 0.6% CWP 1980/81: 1/7250 death rate 1/470 serious injury rate

1990s		Increasing interest in compensating chronic bronchitis and emphysema as occupational illnesses – separate from evidence of CWP. Concern of CWP was dust due to mechanisation 1993: 0.025% CWP

1998/1999		Landmark court decision six former coal miners who suffered lung damage compensated because mines did not do enough to prevent disease

1999-Present		Miners continue to file claims and seek damages for lung diseases caused by the inhalation of coal dust NUM plays a vital role