WVU in the News: In West Virginia, experts say coal mines could be massive spreading ground for COVID-19
Just a few miles north of Fairmont — the county seat of Marion County — lies the small town of Rivesville.
Home to just under 1,000 residents, the cozy municipality sits on the northwest bank of the Monongahela River, smack dab in the middle of the Fairmont coal fields, a coal-plush region concentrated in the county.
When the global COVID-19 pandemic became recognized in the United States, and subsequently West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice was quicker than many states with numerous confirmed cases of the virus to shut down non-essential businesses.
One industry that remained open was coal mining. However, many experts in mining and public health are beginning to raise alarms that keeping mines open during the pandemic could be extremely dangerous for both those who work in mines, as well as the general public.
“The big thing to worry about is that because of the dust exposure could develop black lung, which puts them at an increased risk for severity of the disease. They’re already lung compromised. It’s not going to be good, because this is a respiratory virus,” said Michael McCawley, clinical associate professor at the WVU School of Public Health.
Photo: Times West Virginian