NIOSH Miner Health Program Addresses Substance Use and Work

  Drug overdoses have accelerated over the past two decades, and in 2017, the United States Department of Health and Human Services deemed the opioid crisis a public health emergency. In April of 2021, the U.S. surpassed 100,000 drug overdose deaths for the preceding 12-month period, marking a nearly 29% increase from the previous 12-months. This milestone is 80% higher than the number of deaths for the same period five years prior.[1]  The overdose epidemic has been fueled by the rapid rise in the use of synthetic opioids, such as illegally made fentanyl, as well as by psychostimulants like cocaine