This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 11:06 AM- MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Living near a coal mine can be hazardous to your health.
At least that's the conclusion of West Virginia University researcher Michael Hendryx. He says people living in mining communities face higher risk of chronic heart, lung and kidney diseases.
WVU says Hendryx and Washington State University researcher Melissa Ahern found the risk of kidney disease rises 70 percent for residents of West Virginia mining communities. And they found the risk of emphysema and similar diseases is 64 percent higher, among other things.
WVU says the study found hospitalization rates rise with coal production and that coal pollution may kill 313 West Virginians a year.
The full study is to be published in the American Journal of Public Health next month.
