Part 3/9:
Wes also opened up about the health implications of coal mining, particularly the risk of black lung disease—a condition that scars the lungs due to prolonged exposure to coal dust. He spoke of his father’s declining health and the legacy of loss felt throughout his family, with most of them having worked in the mines and suffering similar fates. The contrasting realities of high earnings in the coal industry, particularly at its peak, clash starkly with the health risks associated with the work. Wes recounted starting his mining career earning eight dollars an hour and eventually rising to a foreman making thirty-two dollars per hour, illustrating the economic draw of the industry.