The United Mine Workers of America is countering the U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision to push back implementation of a silica rule until October will have deadly results. It would have cut exposure levels in half for miners.The delay stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association which would not have been affected by the rule until 2027.Evidence has been around for decades linking silica dust to black lung. Sam Petsonk, who helped force NIOSH to resume and staff testing miners for black lung, The new rule was expected in April and then in August. Now another delay is apparent. “They have kicked the can down the road for 50 years when it comes to protecting American miners from silicosis,” Petsonk said. “In 1974, the CDC recommended the federal government announce this new limit.”