Hello. Hello. Is that James? Yes, this James. Hi, James. This is. Recently, I got on the

phone with James Howerton. He's 48 and lives in West Virginia. What's something that

you like a lot about where you live? Kind of quiet, peaceful, surrounded by some woods.

Do you go out into those woods often? I used to. I can't anymore. I used to hunt. I used to

fish. I can't do it anymore, especially alone. There's a lot of times, if I go out and

try to walk through the woods, I'm scared. The mountains around West Virginia is kind of

steep. So if I get out there and start coughing, there's a good chance I'll pass out. And

if I pass out, I don't want to wake up at the bottom of the mountain or in the hospital.

James was a coal miner for more than 20 years until his lungs gave out. When did you first

start to feel your lungs? I'd be about 2007. I would wake up and blow my nose and be

blood. I'd start coughing and I'd have streaks of blood. His diagnosis? Black lung. It's a deadly

illness caused by prolonged exposure to dust. There is no cure. After decades of

decline, black lung is now on the rise again. Roughly one in five miners in Central Appalachia

have the disease. Do you regret going into mining? I regret not going to school further

on my education. I regret going underground completely. It shaped off a lot of my life. I don't

know from day to day when my lungs are going to go completely. I don't know when I'm going

to pass out and just not wake up. And I'd, you know, it scares me. I regret a great deal.

Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Kate Limebaugh. It's

Monday, October 2. Coming up on the show, black lungs resurgence in

core country.

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