Cut to federal workforce put black Lung screening at risk
NBC News
[{'start': '0.400', 'end': '3.760', 'text': "For decades, Scott Laney's team made"}, {'start': '2.399', 'end': '5.759', 'text': 'health screenings as convenient as'}, {'start': '3.760', 'end': '7.600', 'text': 'possible for coal miners in Appalachia'}, {'start': '5.759', 'end': '11.280', 'text': 'who have limited access to healthcare'}, {'start': '7.600', 'end': '13.799', 'text': 'facilities. We provide X-rays, pulmonary'}, {'start': '11.280', 'end': '16.640', 'text': 'function tests, blood pressure'}, {'start': '13.799', 'end': '19.039', 'text': 'screenings, occupational histories to'}, {'start': '16.640', 'end': '21.840', 'text': 'try to get a sense of what the health of'}, {'start': '19.039', 'end': '23.600', 'text': 'the mining workforce is. All through'}, {'start': '21.840', 'end': '25.199', 'text': 'NAOSH, the National Institute for'}, {'start': '23.600', 'end': '27.199', 'text': 'Occupational Safety and Health, which'}, {'start': '25.199', 'end': '29.279', 'text': 'focuses on work-related illnesses like'}, {'start': '27.199', 'end': '31.119', 'text': 'black lung and coal miners, a disease'}, {'start': '29.279', 'end': '33.920', 'text': 'that can cause difficulty breathing, a'}, {'start': '31.119', 'end': '36.399', 'text': 'persistent cough, and lead to death. Is'}, {'start': '33.920', 'end': '38.000', 'text': "black lung today worse than ever? It's"}, {'start': '36.399', 'end': '40.399', 'text': "certainly worse than it's been in the"}, {'start': '38.000', 'end': '42.800', 'text': 'last 30 or 40 years in central'}, {'start': '40.399', 'end': '45.120', 'text': 'Appalachian. And among long tenur coal'}, {'start': '42.800', 'end': '48.160', 'text': 'miners, one in five miners who are'}, {'start': '45.120', 'end': '49.760', 'text': 'working today right now have black lung.'}, {'start': '48.160', 'end': '52.079', 'text': 'Laney and his team were trying to'}, {'start': '49.760', 'end': '54.320', 'text': 'reverse that trend, but a month ago, he'}, {'start': '52.079', 'end': '56.000', 'text': 'and more than 800 other NYOSH employees'}, {'start': '54.320', 'end': '58.399', 'text': 'were terminated as part of the Trump'}, {'start': '56.000', 'end': '60.079', 'text': "administration's Doge cuts. And despite"}, {'start': '58.399', 'end': '62.160', 'text': 'the administration signaling this week'}, {'start': '60.079', 'end': '64.159', 'text': 'their jobs would be reinstated, a memo'}, {'start': '62.160', 'end': '66.320', 'text': 'obtained by NBC News says that'}, {'start': '64.159', 'end': '68.000', 'text': 'reinstatement will only be a temporary'}, {'start': '66.320', 'end': '69.760', 'text': 'arrangement, even as the Trump'}, {'start': '68.000', 'end': '72.640', 'text': 'administration looks to expand coal'}, {'start': '69.760', 'end': '74.400', 'text': 'mining. My concern is these new people'}, {'start': '72.640', 'end': '76.880', 'text': 'who are going to be going into the mines'}, {'start': '74.400', 'end': '79.040', 'text': 'now have less protection than their'}, {'start': '76.880', 'end': '81.200', 'text': 'grandfathers and their greatgrandfathers'}, {'start': '79.040', 'end': '83.439', 'text': 'as a result of this. These current and'}, {'start': '81.200', 'end': '85.759', 'text': 'retired Appalachia based coal miners all'}, {'start': '83.439', 'end': '86.960', 'text': "relied on the program. As someone who's"}, {'start': '85.759', 'end': '88.799', 'text': 'still working underground, are you'}, {'start': '86.960', 'end': '91.040', 'text': 'worried about what that means for your'}, {'start': '88.799', 'end': '94.159', 'text': 'health? Absolutely. without having the'}, {'start': '91.040', 'end': '96.640', 'text': 'protection or the sampling and some of'}, {'start': '94.159', 'end': '98.479', 'text': "the stuff that NYOS does, we're not"}, {'start': '96.640', 'end': '101.360', 'text': 'going to be nearly as protected as once'}, {'start': '98.479', 'end': '104.320', 'text': 'we we are now. They just started closing'}, {'start': '101.360', 'end': '105.680', 'text': 'things up and and not even looking what'}, {'start': '104.320', 'end': '108.000', 'text': "they're doing. This needs to be"}, {'start': '105.680', 'end': '110.000', 'text': 'reinstated as quick as possible.'}, {'start': '108.000', 'end': '112.240', 'text': 'Otherwise, the mines might survive, but'}, {'start': '110.000', 'end': '113.840', 'text': 'not the miners.'}, {'start': '112.240', 'end': '116.000', 'text': 'Critical government health protections'}, {'start': '113.840', 'end': '118.960', 'text': 'for coal miners now anything but'}, {'start': '116.000', 'end': '121.600', 'text': 'certain. Jacob Soberov, NBC News,'}, {'start': '118.960', 'end': '123.600', 'text': 'Morgantown, West Virginia. Thanks for'}, {'start': '121.600', 'end': '126.880', 'text': 'watching. Stay updated about breaking'}, {'start': '123.600', 'end': '131.280', 'text': 'news and top stories on the NBC News app'}, {'start': '126.880', 'end': '131.280', 'text': 'or follow us on social media.'}]