WVU researchers say find people living near coal mines have worse health

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - New West Virginia University research concludes that people who live in Appalachia's coalfields are far more likely to have chronic heart, lung and kidney problems.
They're also more likely to die early, WVU Associate Professor Michael Hendryx said Tuesday. Hendryx and Washington State University Associate Professor Melissa Ahern reached those conclusions in a study based on a telephone survey of 16,400 West Virginians, coal production data and mortality rates in eight coal-producing states.
While the findings, which are due to be published in the American Journal of Public Health next month, target coal mining pollution, Hendryx blames smoking, poverty and poor education for much of the region's poor health.
"The big three," he calls them. "I think the environmental impact from coal mining is less than those three, but still significant by itself," he said. "When I controlled for smoking rates, I found that there was still elevated lung cancer is coal mining areas."
The study found the risk of kidney disease is 70 percent higher for people who live in West Virginia mining communities, while the risk of emphysema and similar lung diseases is 64 percent higher. And people who live in mining communities are 30 percent more likely to report high blood pressure.
People have complained about coal pollution harming their health for decades, but Hendryx said no one ever tried to verify those complaints through research, at least not in the United States.
"This is the first study that I'm aware of that's been able to substantiate those claims with a research study," he said. "It is a significant problem."
And it's one that plagues a large chunk of the East and Southeast.
Rates of premature death suggest the numbers hold true for Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, the remaining coal states of Appalachia, Hendryx said. "It's not limited to just West Virginia."
West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney said the industry group plans a closer look at the data behind the study and how WVU reached its conclusions. "I get concerned anytime that they accuse a particular segment of industry, business or society for certain things," he said.
National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovich declined to comment because the Washington, D.C.-based trade group has not yet reviewed the study.
So, too, did a spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, who has taken on a region-wide role in the expansion of the coal industry and other energy issues. "It's really difficult for us to comment on it until we have a better handle on what's included," Lara Ramsburg said.
Hendryx said the next research step is looking at air and water quality, while the search for a solution may well rest with economic development and a greater emphasis on getting people to quit smoking - or not take up the habit in the first place.
"There are some things that could be done," Hendryx said.