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Higher mortality in coal mining counties

Coal mining areas may adversely affect those who live and work in them. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh studied towns in West Virginia to determine mortality rates between mining and non-mining towns.

Looking at 31 towns, they matched families of comparable incomes in mining and non-mining towns, looking at deaths between 1950 and 2007. Both cancer-related deaths and non-cancer related deaths were less common in non-mining towns of the region.

Men were found to have higher rates of respiratory disease than women in mining towns, indicating occupational hazards. More studies are needed to determine the links between environmental effects and personal habits.

Read more at University of Pittsburgh

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