The Guardian: Dust, TB, and HIV: the ugly face of mining in South Africa
“…[N]ature’s blessing of coal, diamonds, gold, and platinum has also been a curse over the past century and a half. Thousands of [South African] workers have died in accidents. Continual exposure to mineral dust in mine shafts has resulted in high rates of silicosis. That, and the proximity of mineworkers underground, contributes to the spread of TB. In South Africa’s mines the disease is up to six times more common than in the general population. Men in a mining area tend to attract commercial sex workers, leading to the spread of HIV…” (Smith/Carrington, 5/26).