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August 2003, Vol 93, No. 8 | American Journal of Public Health 1236-1244
© 2003 American Public Health Association

PUBLIC HEALTH THEN AND NOW

The Fox Guarding the Chicken Coop: Monitoring Exposure to Respirable Coal Mine Dust, 1969–2000

James L. Weeks, ScD, CIH

James L. Weeks is with Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International, Inc, Germantown, Md.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to James L. Weeks, ScD, CIH, Advanced Technologies and Laboratories International, Inc, 20010 Century Blvd, Suite 500, Germantown, MD 20874 (e-mail: jweeks{at}atlintl.com).

Following passage of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, underground coal mine operators were required to take air samples in order to monitor compliance with the exposure limit for respirable dust, a task essential for the prevention of pneumoconiosis among coal workers. Miners objected, claiming that having the mine operators perform this task was like "having the fox guard the chicken coop."

This article is a historical narrative of mining industry corruption and of efforts to reform the program of monitoring exposure to coal mine dust. Several important themes common to the practice of occupational health are illustrated; most prominently, that employers should not be expected to regulate themselves.




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