Mining is low on the list of enviable occupations. The hazards one faces when plying one of humanity’s most ancient professions, burrowing deep into the earth to harvest its hidden treasures in the form of precious stones and metals, range from grungy to downright gruesome. The occupation is widely considered to be one of the world’s most dangerous, and it was only in the 1950s that the mining industry in the United States finally saw fatalities due to accidents dip under a thousand a year (1).
Not only do miners experience significantly increased morbidity due to working conditions that are inherently more challenging and dangerous than those posed by a corporate 9-to-5, but they also face a greater incidence of infectious diseases than your average desk jockey. Skin and respiratory illnesses abound in mines, tropical parasites such as malaria and dengue can plague those in more tropical locales, and rodents in infested mines can spread leptospirosis and other diseases (2). While these illnesses are still common in mines located in developing countries, the United States and the developed world have largely eradicated these ailments, leaving only the dark and dampness to do battle with.
