Free black lung testing offered in Buchanan County

Federal health and labor officials are sending a mobile unit to Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia beginning this month that will provide free black lung screenings for coal miners.

This marks the agency’s 21st year of traveling to provide testing that could predict the early onset of black lung disease. The visits are confidential and usually take 30 minutes to complete. Miners can expect their results within a 12-week period.

The Southwest Virginia visit is set for April 7th at Stone Mountain Health Services in Vansant.

(IMAGE: Property of Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)