Report on Mortality Rate Analysis in Appalachia Coal Mining Community

This report examines the elevated mortality rate in Appalachia's coal mining communities, attributing it to environmental and health issues stemming from coal mining activities. The research highlights increased rates of birth defects, lung cancer, and other chronic diseases like kidney, heart, and lung ailments due to toxic agents released during mining. Mountaintop mining contributes to water and air contamination, further exacerbating health problems. Psychological disorders and increased flood vulnerability also play a role. The report references studies showing higher cancer rates in areas with mountaintop removal mining and lower life expectancy in Appalachian regions compared to national averages. It concludes that socio-environmental factors linked to mining activities significantly reduce the health and quality of life for residents.

Running head: MORTALITY RATE IN APPALACHIA COAL MINING COMMUNITY
MORTALITY RATE IN APPALACHIA COAL MINING COMMUNITY
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1MORTALITY RATE IN APPALACHIA COAL MINING COMMUNITY
The coal mining industry in Appalachia has negatively impacted the heath of the
people there. The health issues can be attributed to the toxic agents being released into the
environment as a result of coal mining. As per the research done by Woolley et al., (2015),
the rate of defective births is higher in the coal mining areas of Appalachia in comparison to
that in the non-coal mining regions. The widespread anomalies include circulatory, central
nervous system, respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, urogenital and many others.
Coal mining practices in the region is majorly responsible for the birth defects. Birth defects
and low weight during birth are direct consequences of presence of large quantities of
suspended particulate matter in air. The harmful gases released during coal mining practices
include carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, cadmium, nitrogen dioxide, lead and mercury. As
per the research done by Woolley et al., (2015), deaths due to lung cancer are higher in the
Appalachian coal mining regions. In the coal mining region of Appalachia, lung cancer has
been elevating the mortality rate. The presence of particulate matter such as arsenic,
beryllium, chromium, nickel, silica, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cobalt and benzene in
the inhaled air serves as the main cause of cancer. Studies suggest that cancer is not just the
only cause of increased mortality rate. The other causes that are responsible for rise in the
mortality rate are chronic kidney, heart and lung diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are the
result of unidentified particulate matter in the soil. Mountaintop mining that is done in this
region is responsible for creating widespread impairment of the surface as well as ground
water including serious disturbances in the composition of air. The groundwater table of this
region has high levels of calcium, bicarbonate ions, sulfate, magnesium and hydrogen
sulphide. The water is highly contaminated due to the presence of the harmful substances and
results in water borne diseases which are fatal contributing to the mortality rate of the region.
As per the research done Greenberg, (2017), people living in regions of central
Appalachia are more vulnerable to depression and psychological disorders as compared to the

2MORTALITY RATE IN APPALACHIA COAL MINING COMMUNITY
non-coal mining areas. The Appalachian region has witnessed heavy floods owing to the coal
mining activities that are major contributors to the rise in the mortality rate. The coal miners
are the ones suffering from various serious diseases such as heart disease, pneumoconiosis,
lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Johann-Essex et al., 2017). The coal
miners are affected with black lung disease that is caused due to dust inhalation. This causes
irritation in the alveolar region and permanently damages the lungs. Three methods which
expose human body to harmful substances are ingestion, dermal absorption and inhalation.
The coal mining activities generate substances which get mixed with the soil and the water
bodies leading to dermal exposure as well as inhalation. Other substances generated mix with
the groundwater leading to inhalation. Coal mining activities in the Appalachian region has
affected the environment as a whole leading to diseases and high mortality rate. Acid mine
drainage is considered to be the main cause of high levels of toxic substances found in the
groundwater of the region. As per the research done by Hendryx & Luo, (2015), the cancer
rate in the central Appalachian region without the mountaintop removal mining is 9.4 percent
while it is 14.4 percent in regions with mountaintop removal mining. The majority of the
birth defects are supposed to be multifactorial as both genetic and environmental causes have
been found to be contributing to the cause. The people living in coal mining regions of
Appalachia have been suffering from tooth decay and loss caused due to the harmful
substances such as arsenic, lead, manganese and cadmium. As per the research done by
Hendryx & Holland, (2016), the people of Appalachia experience higher rates of morbidity as
well as mortality in comparison to the rest of the regions in the country. In the year 2007,
region with the lowest life expectancy was in Appalachia’s McDowell region. In this region
the average value of life expectancy for males was 66.3 years while that of the females was
74.7 years when the national average value of life expectancy at birth was 75.6 years in the
United States (Cook, Sarver & Krometis, 2015). In regions such as Appalachia self-related

3MORTALITY RATE IN APPALACHIA COAL MINING COMMUNITY
health conditions and heath related quality of life has been reduced. The health issues can be
grouped under socio-environmental issues which can be related to violations of human rights
in association with the mining activities.

4MORTALITY RATE IN APPALACHIA COAL MINING COMMUNITY
References
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work in mining communities: Exploring community needs for central Appalachian
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Greenberg, P. (2017). Disproportionality and Resource‐Based Environmental Inequality: An
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Hendryx, M., & Holland, B. (2016). Unintended consequences of the Clean Air Act:
Mortality rates in Appalachian coal mining communities. Environmental Science &
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Hendryx, M., & Luo, J. (2015). An examination of the effects of mountaintop removal coal
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Johann-Essex, V., Keles, C., Rezaee, M., Scaggs-Witte, M., & Sarver, E. (2017). Respirable
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Woolley, S. M., Youk, A. O., Bear, T. M., Balmert, L. C., Talbott, E. O., & Buchanich, J. M.
(2015). Impact of coal mining on self-rated health among Appalachian
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