718.102—Chest roentgenograms (X-rays).
(a)
A chest roentgenogram (X-ray) shall be of suitable quality for proper classification of pneumoconiosis and shall conform to the standards for administration and interpretation of chest X-rays as described in Appendix A.
(b)
A chest X-ray to establish the existence of pneumoconiosis shall be classified as Category 1, 2, 3, A, B, or C, according to the International Labour Organization Union Internationale Contra Cancer/Cincinnati (1971) International Classification of Radiographs of the Pneumoconioses (ILO-U/C 1971), or subsequent revisions thereof. This document is available from the Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation in the U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, D.C., telephone (202) 693-0046, and from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), located in Cincinnati, Ohio, telephone (513) 841-4428) and Morgantown, West Virginia, telephone (304) 285-5749. A chest X-ray classified as Category Z under the ILO Classification (1958) or Short Form (1968) shall be reclassified as Category 0 or Category 1 as appropriate, and only the latter accepted as evidence of pneumoconiosis. A chest X-ray classified under any of the foregoing classifications as Category 0, including sub-categories 0—, 0/0, or 0/1 under the UICC/Cincinnati (1968) Classification or the ILO-U/C 1971 Classification does not constitute evidence of pneumoconiosis.
(c)
A description and interpretation of the findings in terms of the classifications described in paragraph (b) of this section shall be submitted by the examining physician along with the film. The report shall specify the name and qualifications of the person who took the film and the name and qualifications of the physician interpreting the film. If the physician interpreting the film is a Board-certified or Board-eligible radiologist or a certified “B” reader (see § 718.202 ), he or she shall so indicate. The report shall further specify that the film was interpreted in compliance with this paragraph.
(d)
The original film on which the X-ray report is based shall be supplied to the Office, unless prohibited by law, in which event the report shall be considered as evidence only if the original film is otherwise available to the Office and other parties. Where the chest X-ray of a deceased miner has been lost, destroyed or is otherwise unavailable, a report of a chest X-ray submitted by any party shall be considered in connection with the claim.
(e)
Except as provided in this paragraph, no chest X-ray shall constitute evidence of the presence or absence of pneumoconiosis unless it is conducted and reported in accordance with the requirements of this section and Appendix A. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, compliance with the requirements of Appendix A shall be presumed. In the case of a deceased miner where the only available X-ray does not substantially comply with paragraphs (a) through (d), such X-ray may form the basis for a finding of the presence or absence of pneumoconiosis if it is of sufficient quality for determining the presence or absence of pneumoconiosis and such X-ray was interpreted by a Board-certified or Board-eligible radiologist or a certified “B” reader (see § 718.202 ).