Industrial hygiene report, Homestake Mining Company, Lead, South Dakota.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dement, John M. ; Ludwig, Howard R. ; Zumwalde, Ralph D.
• Description:
  Worker exposures to free silica (7631869), radon (10043922) daughters, arsenic (7440382), and asbestos (1332214) fibers were determined at the Homestake Mining Company (SIC-1041) in Lead, South Dakota from July 12 to 23, 1977. The mining operation was being investigated due to an elevated incidence of deaths from malignant and nonmalignant respiratory diseases in the mining population. About 968 employees worked in the underground operations on 35 levels from 1700 to 8000 feet. Approximately 170 employees representing 90 percent of the job titles were sampled for an entire work shift using personal filters. Data for free silica was used from a survey conducted in 1976 for the mine. Midget impinger samples were collected for dust. Samples were collected from 448 miners during an entire work shift with each crew over a two week period. Work practices were documented. The authors conclude that mean exposures for free silica, radon daughters, arsenic, and asbestos fibers are within OSHA standards for most job classifications. They suggest that the potentiating effect of the contaminants could predispose some workers to respiratory diseases. They recommend a continuing education program for job hazards, maintenance procedures, and cleanup methods, and to ensure that they understand how to use respiratory protective equipment and protective clothing. They suggest sealants to contain radioactive contamination from rock, and reduction of dust concentrations.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Coal Coal Mining Mining Occupational Health Safety Vehicle Emissions
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Asbestos-dusts Field-Study Health-surveys Industrial-processes Mining-industry NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Survey Occupational-health-programs Region-8 Silicates Workplace-studies

  More +
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Studies ; Industry Wide
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 8 ; South Dakota
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-255
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00111212
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, IWS 32-54, 1981 Jan; :1-255
• CAS Registry Number:
  Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9) ; Radon (CAS RN 10043-92-2) ; Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2) ; Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1981
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  1041 - Gold ores - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7fc1db669776fab47173b17c7c5e7a38ffdb337d62fd4a1a5a22604cc8b318fd3387901eabddfbc0da72ffb44e200a3bb31611060171274bbd1047f4e58f4f94
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/179098/cdc_179098_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 9.34 MB ]