The Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Disaster

Aug 21, 2023

Explore the worst industrial disaster in US history, where thousands of workers were exposed to deadly silica dust during the construction of the Hawk's Nest Tunnel. Uncover the shocking negligence towards worker safety and the suspicious actions surrounding the lost records of the disaster. Discover the mistreatment and hazardous conditions faced by black workers, as well as the rumors surrounding the burial of bodies. Delve into the history of respiratory diseases and dust exposure, including the recommendations made by Georgius Agricola. Learn about the issue of silica dust exposure in various industries and the new standards for crystalline silica exposure. Plus, find out about a listener's email regarding goats and their eating habits.

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Introduction

00:00 • 6min

The Construction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel and Union Carbide's Expansion

05:53 • 2min

The Hawk's Nest Tunnel Controversy

08:06 • 6min

Dust Exposure and Respiratory Diseases: History and Negligence

14:01 • 10min

Mistreatment and Hazardous Conditions in Hawk's Nest Tunnel

24:07 • 6min

Rumors, Burials, and the Undertaker's Cemetery

29:47 • 14min

Silica Dust Exposure and Goat Eating Habits

43:37 • 7min

The Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Disaster involved thousands of workers being exposed to silica dust, and many continued to get sick and die for years after the tunnel was finished. The project was run with total disregard for workers’ lives and safety.

Research:

Investigation Relating to Health Conditions of Workers Employed in the Construction and Maintenance of Public Utilities : hearings before the United States House Committee on Labor, Seventy-Fourth Congress, second session, on Jan. 16, 17, 20-22, 27-29, Feb. 4, 1936.” https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=OhHRhNWDGi4C&pg=GBS.PA1&hl=en
Cherniack, Martin G. "Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 14 March 2023. Web. 08 August 2023.
Cherniack, Martin. “The Hawk's Nest Incident: America's Worst Industrial Disaster.” Yale University Press. 1986.
Crandall, William “Rick” and Richard E. Crandall. “Revisiting the Hawks Nest Tunnel Incident: Lessons Learned from an American Tragedy.” Journal of Appalachian Studies , Fall 2002, Vol. 8, No. 2 (Fall 2002). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41446542
Georgius Agricola “De re metallica.” Translated by Herbert Clark Hoover and Lou Henry Hoover. The Mining Magazine. 1912. https://archive.org/details/georgiusagricola00agririch
Harrington, D. and Sara J. Davenport. “Review of the Literature on the Effects of Breathing Dusts, With Special Reference to Silicosis.” United States Bureau of Mines.
House of Representatives Subcommittee Report. “Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the Second Session of the
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Lancianese, Adelina. “Before Black Lung, The Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster Killed Hundreds.” Weekend Edition Sunday. NPR. 1/20/2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/01/20/685821214/before-black-lung-the-hawks-nest-tunnel-disaster-killed-hundreds
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Rosner, David and Gerald Markowitz. “Workers, Industry, and the Control of Information: Silicosis and the Industrial Hygiene Foundation.” Journal of Public Health Policy. 16, No. 1 (Spring, 1995). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3342976
Rukeyser, Muriel. “The Book of the Dead.” With an introduction by Catherine Venable Moore. West Virginia University press. 2018.
Seventy- Fourth Congress of the United States of America. Vol. 80, pt. 5. Washington: GPO, 1936.” From West Virginia Archives and History. https://archive.wvculture.org/hiStory/disasters/hawksnesttunnel04.html
Spencer, Howard W. “The Historic & Cultural Importance of the Hawks Nest Disaster.” PSJ Professional Safety. February 2023. https://www.assp.org/docs/default-source/psj-articles/vpspencer_0223.pdf?sfvrsn=afa39647_0
Stafnaker, C. Keith. “Hawk’s Nest Tunnel: A Forgotten Tragedy in Safety’s History.” Professional Safety. October 2006.
Wills, Matthew. “Remembering the Disaster at Hawks Nest.” JSTOR Daily. 10/30/2020. https://daily.jstor.org/remembering-the-disaster-at-hawks-nest/

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