Solving the puzzle of coal dust in causing emphysema

IOM were part of a ground-breaking pathological study examining the lungs of deceased miners. The study showed that for both smokers and non-smokers, the more coal dust a miner inhaled, the greater risk he would have of significant emphysema and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

This research provided the scientific support to help over half a million mineworkers claim the compensation they deserved for risks faced from coal dust in their daily work.