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- BUSINESS, Page 53Business NotesWORKER SAFETYBlack Marks For the Mines
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- While catastrophic cave-ins are relatively rare in the U.S.,
- about 260,000 former miners suffer from another killer: black
- lung disease. One reason could be that mine operators routinely
- circumvent air-safety standards established in 1969 to regulate
- the amount of coal dust in the mines. Now the government is
- cracking down. In Virginia last week, 13 coal companies and 15
- people pleaded guilty to falsifying air samples to understate
- levels of coal dust. The companies face fines of as much as
- $500,000 each. The individuals could be imprisoned for five
- years and fined $250,000. Prosecutors say many more guilty
- pleas are forthcoming.
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