BFI

Dust - Medical Report was the first of a three-part Mining Review series about the effects of dust on working miners. It begins by explaining the problem in layman's terms - what is now technically known as pneumoconiosis was formerly known as silicosis, 'miner's cough' and even asthma, but it's best described as dust disease.

It's not at all uncommon for people to breathe in dust, particularly in urban areas, but underground the human body's natural compensating mechanism can't handle it. As a result, dust begins to accumulate in miners' lungs, causing permanent damage.

This gloomy prognosis is offset by a more optimistic second half, as we are introduced to the research of the medical team at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff. Although they have yet to find a cure for dust disease, they now know enough to be able to recommend suitable preventative measures, including regular health screening of miners.

The Dust series would continue across the next two editions of Mining Review, which tackled the topics of suppression underground (1/10) and rehabilitation (1/11).

Michael Brooke

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