Black lung disease in the Hunter Valley: A re-emerging health crisis
The diagnosis of black lung disease in a Hunter Valley coal worker in 2021—the first case identified since the 1970s —shocked Australia’s mining community. This landmark case, which resulted in a $3.2 million compensation award, shattered the dangerous illusion that modern safety standards had eliminated this devastating occupational disease. Much like the lingering effects of asbestos and silicosis, which continue