BEEN A DANGEROUS JOB, BUT NOW COAL MINERS ARE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH BLACK LUNG AT YOUNGER AND YOUNGER AGES. THAT’S BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO DIG DEEPER, GRINDING THROUGH MORE ROCK TO REACH COAL DEPOSITS. ALL THAT DIGGING IS INCREASING EXPOSURE TO SILICA DUST, WHICH, WHEN INHALED, CAN DAMAGE AND SCAR LUNGS. ONE APPALACHIAN CLINIC HAS SEEN A PARTICULAR SPIKE IN CASES. FROM 2013 TO 2017, IT DIAGNOSED MORE THAN 400 PEOPLE WITH BLACK LUNG. OUR PRODUCER, TERESA KRUG, MET WITH ONE OF THE RETIRED COAL MINERS FROM THAT CLINIC, JOHN ROBINSON STARTED WORKING IN THE MINES WHEN HE WAS 2027 YEARS LATER, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH BLACK LUNG. HE SHARES HIS STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS. TELL ME ABOUT YOUR YOUR BREATHING. HOW HOW IS YOUR SHORTNESS OF BREATH? I THOUGHT I WAS SUPERMAN WHEN I FIRST WENT INTO MINES. GOT MORE SHORT WINDED. SEEMED LIKE IT’S PASSED SINCE SUMMER. AND THIS WINTER I’D ALWAYS HEARD, YOU KNOW, GUYS LIKE GOING UP IN THEIR 60S AND 70S GETTING BLACK LUNG. BUT WHEN I HIT 47, IT WASN’T SO OLD AND THEN STARTED HAVING SOME ISSUES. UH, SHOULDERS AND KNEES AND BACK ISSUES AND STUFF. UH, THEY SAID HE NEEDS TO SEE A BREATHING DOCTOR. SO I GO AND SURE ENOUGH, OVER TIME THEY SAID, YEAH, YOU’VE GOT FIRST STAGE BLACK LUNG. YOU EITHER WORK IN DEEP MINES OR YOU WORK ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN STRIPPING COAL, OR YOU FLIP HAMBURGERS OR BAG GROCERIES. IF YOU’RE GOING TO WORK, WHY NOT MAKE WHAT YOU CAN MAKE? I DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ALL THE TIME. I WORRIED AT NIGHT FOR SURE. UH, DURING THE DAY, IF I GET RUN DOWN, STRESSED OUT, WHATEVER. WHEN I GET OUT OXYGEN, IT’S LIKE A CAR RUNNING OUT OF GAS. YOU KNOW? YOU AIN’T GOING TO GO FAR. THINGS THE WIFE LIKES TO DO. I CAN’T DO THAT THING. OR THE GRANDBABY WANTS TO, UH, YOU KNOW, KICK A BALL OR PLAY BASKETBALL OR SOMETHING. I CAN’T DO THOSE THINGS. AND SHE DON’T KNOW WHY. IT’S TOUGH WHEN YOU’RE USED TO GOING AND DOING AND WORKING ALL THE TIME. THEN IT’S JUST LIKE CUTTING A LIGHT SWITCH OFF ALL THAT’S GONE. IT’S PRETTY TOUGH ON YOU, REALLY IS. IT’S A REAL FAILURE AS FAR AS BEING UNDERGROUND. UH, IT’S, UH, DARK, WET, DAMP, DUSTY. IT’S JUST IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD. I DON’T THINK IT’S FOR EVERYBODY. I THINK IT’S A SPECIAL BREED OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, I REALLY DO. UH, IT CAN BE HARD WORK, BRUTAL BRUTE WORK. YOU KNOW, UH, I LIKED IT, THOUGH, I LOVED IT. THEY ALWAYS ASKED HOW WE’RE DOING. IF I WAS ABLE. MY BODY COULD TAKE IT AND I COULD DO IT. I’D GO BACK IN THE MINES RIGHT NOW, WHEN YOU GOT A WIFE AND KIDS, YOU’LL DO. YOU’LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES. MY WIFE’S, UH, TWO OF HER NEPHEWS, THEY COME TO ME. I DON’T KNOW IF I’D HELP THEM GET ON IN THE MINES. OF COURSE THEY LIKE ME. THEY HAD BIG DREAMS AND BIG HOPES, AND THEY WANTED TO MAKE THE BIG MONEY. AND SO I HELPED THEM GET ON, YOU KNOW, AND BUT I TRIED MY BEST TO TALK THEM OUT OF. I REALIZED I WASN’T SUPERMAN, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT THEM TO REALLY, YOU KNOW, GET IN THERE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE TAKING CARE OF THESE GUYS BECAUSE EVENTUALLY IT’