Coal Dust Particle Size and Respiratory Disease

Details

• Personal Author:
  Robins TG ; Seixas, Noah S.
• Description:
  The characterization of coal dust particle size and the potential significance of tracheo/bronchial dust estimates was presented in a final performance report. A total of 180 coal dust samples were obtained from four underground Appalachian mines using an eight stage personal cascade impactor. Analysis of particle size distributions showed little variability between occupations or groups of occupations, or in the ratio of respirable to tracheo/bronchial dust fractions. A paper unpublished at the time of this report detailing data collection and findings was attached. The homogeneity of the findings made comparisons of particle size specific fractions to historical data infeasible. Data from a cohort of 977 underground miners attending Round Two and Round Four of the National Study of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (NSCWP) were prospectively analyzed to examine the relationship between respirable dust exposure and symptoms of bronchitis and pulmonary function variables. A steep exposure/response relationship between dust exposure and incidence of bronchitis symptoms within a few years of initial exposure were observed. A strong relationship between bronchitis symptoms and the loss of pulmonary functions was also determined. A model was developed to relate cumulative exposure to low level coal dust and reduction in forced expiratory volume in 1 second. The authors conclude that respirable dust measurements were comparable to respirable exposure fractions in the prediction of obstructive disease. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Dust Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Coal-dust Coal-miners Dust-exposure Mining-industry NIOSH-Grant Occupational-exposure Pulmonary-system-disorders
• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-40
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00228698
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R01-OH-002761, 1994 Jan; :1-40
• Contact Point Address:
  Environmental & Indust Health University of Michigan 1420 Washington Heights AN Arbor, MI 48109-2029
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  19900901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  19930831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:772a16b822e817d3f133667d7d326215211e47be4d98cb92cdcde1210ccc4f170873715e045aace41fc8d6029edf95106d3604247ffbeb6c40bdc669a1ccbbfc
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217853/cdc_217853_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 894.57 KB ]