Comparison of Diesel and Biodiesel Emissions and Health Effects in Underground Mining

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burgess JL ; Hu C ; Lutz EA
• Description:
  Exposure to diesel exhaust is linked to a broad range of illnesses and is a known human carcinogen. Diesel engines are widely used in on- and off-road applications including personal vehicles, trucks, buses, trains, ships, underground mining, construction, and agriculture. Despite the Mine Safety and Health Administration attempts to limit miners' exposures to diesel exhaust, many operators continue to struggle to achieve compliance. As a result, some operators have turned to alternative fuels such as biodiesel and a natural gas/diesel blend, in an attempt to reduce exhaust exposures and associated health effects. There remains, however, a substantial gap in research regarding the effect of alternative fuels in mining settings. Over a three-year period we investigated the differences in acute health effects and personal exposures associated with use of diesel fuel (D) and a 75% biodiesel/25% diesel blend (B75) in an underground mine with a load-haul-dump (LHD) vehicle. We also examined the effect on health exposures, compared to D, when using a natural gas/diesel blend (GD) in the same mine with two different LHD vehicles. Specific aims of the study were to 1) evaluate airborne exposures associated with use of D and alternative fuels in LHD equipment in an underground mine; and to 2) evaluate health effects and biomarkers of altered physiology associated with exposure to emissions generated using D and B75 in an underground mine. Our study measured lung function, lung and systemic inflammation, as well as particle and gas exposures associated with each fuel type. Despite a significant reduction in particulate exposures when using B75, the only improved health effect was lung function. Use of B75 was also associated with decreases, no change, or increases in other exposures. GD resulted in significant reductions in particulate and gas emissions in one LHD with a DOC, but little difference in another fitted with a Purimuffler. This study helps inform policy- and decision-makers in government and industry alike and lays groundwork for future work to better understand the benefits and risks of using alternative diesel fuels. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Air Pollutants, Occupational Automobiles Biomarkers Carcinogens Construction Industry Environmental Exposure Fuel Oils Lung Mining Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory System Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Vehicle Emissions

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• Keywords:
  Airborne Particles Airborne Particulates Biodiesel Construction Diesel Emissions Diesel Engines Diesel Exhausts Emission Sources Environmental Exposure Exposure Levels Fuels Gases Health Effects Lung Function Motor Vehicles Natural Gas Particulates Physiology Risk Factors Trucking Underground Mining

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• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; OSHA Region 9
• 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:
  1-34
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050290
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2018-100194
• 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-009878, 2016 Sep; :1-34
• Contact Point Address:
  Jefferey L. Burgess, MD, MS, MPH, Department of Community, Environment and Policy, College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295 N. Martin, Campus PO Box: 245210, Drachman Hall, Rm A317C, Tucson, AZ 85724
• Email:
  jburgess@email.arizona.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2016
• Performing Organization:
  University of Arizona, Tucson
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20120701
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20160630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ab64d190a2709c110a0dda0fd030b16759797148e1629a20d75a431e2603ccb92ce62053c9155580acf0e7e5e8e363301b9f953e12e7399855bce28e9b268df2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218669/cdc_218669_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1010.08 KB ]