GLEN DANIEL, W.Va. — Chuck Nelson spent his life in this corner of Appalachia, working for years in the coal mines — a good job in the economically depressed area. But he says the industry that helped him earn a living cost him his health, and his wife’s, too.

The 61-year-old Nelson blames his kidney and liver disease on the well water he drank for years, and his wife’s more severe asthma on dust and particles from surface mines near their home.