Opinion ID: 576917
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claimant's History

Text: 2 Holbert Boyles was born in September, 1914. He worked as a coal miner for 42 years. The last mine where he was employed was Peabody's Lynnville mine. During those 42 years, Boyles worked as a truck driver for approximately 5 years, as a shovel runner in a coal pit for approximately 26 years, as a coal loader for more than a year, and as a dragline operator for the last ten years of his mine employment. As a shovel runner, Boyles was exposed to heavy coal dust. As a dragline operator, his coal dust exposure was moderate to minimal because he worked above the coal mining area. 3 Boyles also has a history of heavy cigarette smoking, common among coal miners. At the time of the hearing, he had smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for approximately 40 years, and following that he cut down to a half-a-pack for the past few years. The testimony is unclear how many total years Boyle had been smoking and how long since he had reduced his daily quantity.