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TIME: Almanac 1993
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TIME Almanac 1993.iso
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041392
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0413204.000
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1992-08-28
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824b
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BUSINESS, Page 53Business NotesWORKER SAFETYBlack Marks For the Mines
While catastrophic cave-ins are relatively rare in the U.S.,
about 260,000 former miners suffer from another killer: black
lung disease. One reason could be that mine operators routinely
circumvent air-safety standards established in 1969 to regulate
the amount of coal dust in the mines. Now the government is
cracking down. In Virginia last week, 13 coal companies and 15
people pleaded guilty to falsifying air samples to understate
levels of coal dust. The companies face fines of as much as
$500,000 each. The individuals could be imprisoned for five
years and fined $250,000. Prosecutors say many more guilty
pleas are forthcoming.