An historical review of airborne coal dust levels and the prevalence of occupational lung disease in New South Wales coal mines 1948-1988.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Griffits R
• Description:
  Data on airborne coal dust levels and the prevalence of occupational lung disease in New South Wales coal mines in the years 1948 through 1988 were presented. Coal mining and its associated diseases were reviewed from an historical perspective. Information was also included on geography, prevention and monitoring programs, and the current situation. Regulations adopted in 1984 specified a limit of 3mg/m3 of respirable dust for dust other than quartz (14808607) containing dust. While most continuous mines and longwall units complied with the new gravimetric standard, difficulties were experienced on some longwall faces in meeting the standard. In such situations, personal respiratory protection was being utilized until further engineering measures could be developed. The author concludes that the dust suppression results achieved in New South Wales have resulted in the virtual elimination of coal miners pneumoconiosis from the industry. Although the reduction in the prevalence of pneumoconiosis has been outstanding, appropriate dust monitoring and medical surveillance should be maintained.
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Carcinogens Chromosomes Hazardous Substances Laboratories Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal Mining Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Dust Control Dust Exposure Medical Monitoring Occupational Health Occupational Respiratory Disease Pulmonary Disorders Worker Health
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Conference/Symposia Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  990-993
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00198870
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the VIIth International Pneumoconioses Conference, August 23-26, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 90-108, 1990 Nov; (Pt II):990-993
• CAS Registry Number:
  Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1991
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Part Number:
  II
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the VIIth International Pneumoconioses Conference, August 23-26, 1988, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:005b6998c9c96266c3bdf090772de6c96307e1abe3eb2d6e0a6e42c0e0e1ef3fa9026fd2f49227e8eec8e1b02828beb2327a637c7b81384f0bcf08bc744f82c0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/180701/cdc_180701_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 142.95 KB ]