Platform Development and Optimization for Testing Respirable Coal and Silica Dust in Simulated Underground Coal Mine Conditions

Details

• Personal Author:
  Medina Gomez AA
• Description:
  In mining, respirable dust is a tremendous hazard for mine workers. These tiny particles can be produced in high concentrations by daily mine activities such as blasting, crushing, drilling, or transporting material. In underground coal mines, particle concentration can be a critical danger since workers are in confined spaces with limited artificial ventilation, high humidity in the air, hot temperature, and other site conditions that may lead to more complex particle identification and higher dust particle concentrations. Therefore, necessary controls should be implemented to reduce exposure and guarantee safe work environments for miners. Between respirable dust materials generated in coal mines, respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) and respirable crystalline silica (RCS) are abundant and can lead to the development of deadly lung diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), silicosis, and pulmonary massive fibrosis (PMF). Although many people in the industry have made significant efforts to research, mitigate, and control RCS and RCMD exposure, lung diseases caused by these materials remain a problem that has cost several lives. However, plenty of work can still be done to prevent dust exposure and create better working conditions for workers in the mining industry. This research aims to build infrastructure and conditions to test humidity, concentration, and dust distribution inside a chamber to provide a platform for testing new and current monitoring systems, personal protective equipment (PPE), and mitigation techniques/equipment that can help reduce the exposure of RCMD and RCS in underground coal mines. Two dust chambers were built to simulate underground coal mine conditions. A Humidity control station (HCS) was designed, constructed, and tested to supply variable humidity conditions for testing inside the chamber. Coal samples were reduced to respirable size to supply the chamber with airborne dust produced by an aerosol generator. The samples were tested with a particulate matter sensor and an aerodynamic particle sizer to determine the best internal area to place equipment inside the chamber. The detailed production procedure is covered in this document, and recommendations are made to improve the platform and for future research related to dust testing with similar conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Dust Humidity Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Silicon Dioxide
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Generators Airborne Dusts Author Keywords: Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Coal Dust CWP Dust Analysis Dust Chamber HCS Humidity Control Station Particulates Respirable Dust Silica Dusts

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• Publisher:
  New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Thesis
• Place as Subject:
  New Mexico ; OSHA Region 6
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-81
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068715
• Citation:
  Socorro, NM: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 2022 Dec; :1-81
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20190915
• Source Full Name:
  Platform development and optimization for testing respirable coal and silica dust in simulated underground coal mine conditions
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4418ebaaf4938b80abe37e0c1e371759e7073808f8fa26645e8e5cf7944660313e6a26afc8f1bda4bc0811efc815b951a3ced3084c2110304f4ef3b3afec776c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207301/cdc_207301_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.14 MB ]