Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-88-104-2207: ASARCO - Troy Unit Mine; Troy, Montana

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cornwell, Ronnie J. ; Knutti, Elizabeth B.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from the United Mine Workers of America, an investigation was made of possible exposures to diesel exhaust, silica (14808607) and noise at the ASARCO Troy Unit Mine (SIC-1044), Troy, Montana. This silver mine was also a significant copper producer. Approximately 314 persons were employed in two basic operations of mining and ore concentration. The ore was mined by the room and pillar method. Extraction calls for drilling, blasting, scaling and roof bolting, mucking and hauling. Exposures to nitrogen-dioxide (10102440) ranged from 0.16 to 4.61 parts per million (ppm) some of which were in excess of the recommended NIOSH limit of 1ppm. Coal-tar-pitch volatiles ranged in concentration from to 3.99mg/m3 with a mean concentration of 1.60mg/m3. Respirable dust concentrations ranged from 0.26 to 16.74mg/m3 with a mean of 2.24mg/m3. The mean quartz content of surface dust samples was 24% and of underground samples was 7%. Noise exposures ranged from 65.5 to 103.8 decibels-A for the 8 hour time weighted average samples. Of the 22 personal dosimeter readings obtained underground, 21 exceeded the limits as did six of the 19 readings taken on the surface. The authors conclude that a health hazard existed due to exposures to respirable silica, noise and diesel combustion products. The authors recommend specific measures to reduce the potential hazardous exposures and enhance the company's medical surveillance program.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Ear Environmental Monitoring Mining Noise Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Sense Organs Silicon Dioxide Vehicle Emissions

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• Keywords:
  Air-quality-monitoring Airborne-dusts Diesel-emissions Diesel Exhaust Hazard-Confirmed HETA-88-104-2207 Mineral-dusts Mining-industry NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Nitrogen Dioxide Noise-exposure Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 8 Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons Silica Silver Ores Underground-miners

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA881042207
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Montana ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  45 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Kinsley, Kathleen B. ; Amandus, Harlan ; Tubbs, Randy L. ; Ferguson, Rick ; Kullman, Greg J. ; Parker, John E. ; Vandestouwe, Kurt H.
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00208288
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB92-221415
• Citation:
  Morgantown, West Virginia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 88-104-2207, 1992 Apr ; :1-48
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica, Crystalline (CAS RN 14808-60-7) ; Nitrogen dioxide (CAS RN 10102-44-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1992
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1044 - Silver ores - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5493ffedc0e36a843e918bf98fe85568c54adba0772365e95d080b9069d9d25f5631fa2650ea89feab714d174f46115bfa26aa1555dcfb5b031c126d01c0fbaf
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171573/cdc_171573_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 211.89 KB ]