Coalmine blasts and floods are undoubtedly the major killer of miners. But as well as these tragedies, there is another hazard down the mines that is killing far more migrant workers black lung disease.

Experts warn that it may become a serious social hazard in some rural areas around 2010 unless earnest action is taken to protect migrant workers, miners in particular, from inhaling enough dust in their workplace to destroy their lungs.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health suggest that more than 600,000 cases of pneumoconiosis had been reported from the 1950s to the end of 2005. Of them, more than 137,000 have died. Some experts estimate that the actual number could be more than 1 million.

A survey conducted by reporters from Workers' Daily this year indicated that black lung disease had the highest incidence among migrant workers, and township or private enterprises are primarily where workers are most likely to contract the disease.

As in coal-mine accidents, migrant workers are again the largest group under threat.

Under heavy pressure to provide for their families, many have to do whatever job they can get without considering the working conditions.

To keep production costs as low as possible, employers do not take any measures or install the necessary facilities to reduce floating dust in the workplace, with the mentality that workers will not care how bad working conditions are as long as they are able to make money.

The Industrial Disease Prevention Law that took effect in 2001 stipulates that employers must take pre-emptive measures to reduce dust if the dust caused by production is thick enough to affect workers' health.

The fact that more and more migrant workers are contracting black lung disease suggests that many employers turn a blind eye to this law, and so do the relevant government departments, which have the responsibility to oversee employers.

If a disease such as black lung destroys the health of a young migrant worker, the family's loss of a breadwinner could throw them into dire poverty, leaving elderly parents and children unsupported.

The larger this group of patients becomes, the heavier the pressure will be on governments at various levels to take care of unassisted families.

Even from this perspective, employers must be forced to take pre-emptive measures to prevent their employees from contracting black lung, or be made responsible for the consequences.

(China Daily December 21, 2006)