March 26, 1999
Ex-miners in England won their case for compensation in a deal worth £2 billion for lung disease caused by working underground in the coal mining industry. Lawyers for the miners claimed that the industry had known for decades that dust produced in the coal mining process could cause lung disease but not enough was done to protect them. Many of these miners were working underground in the 1950s before health and safety laws ensured there were dust masks and showers at collieries.
