Real-Time Fine Aerosol Exposures in Taconite Mining Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Alexander B ; Huynh T ; Mandel J ; Quick H ; Ramachandran G ; Raynor P
• Description:
  Recent studies have shown that taconite workers may be at increased risk for mortality from lung cancer, mesothelioma, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The relationship between CVD and occupational dust exposures at these mines has not been well-studied. We conducted an air monitoring campaign to characterise fine aerosol concentrations at 91 locations across six taconite mines using direct-reading instruments to obtain measurements of mass concentrations (PM2.5 or particles with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 um, and respirable particulate matters or RPM), surface area (SA), particle number (PN), and particle size distributions. We fit a Bayesian model with an AR(1) (autoregressive order 1) correlation structure to estimate exposure while accounting for temporal correlation. The highest estimated geometric means (GMs) were observed in the pelletizing and concentrating departments (pelletizing maintenance, balling drum operator, and concentrator operator) for PM2.5 and RPM. SA and PN generally had highest GMs in the pelletizing department that processed powder-like particles into iron pellets. Between-location variability estimates were generally higher than within-location, indicating larger differences in exposure levels at different locations between mines. Ranking between PM2.5 and RPM generally agree with each other, whereas SA and PN were more consistent with each other, with some overlap with PM2.5 and RPM. Differences in ranking these groups may have potential implication for occupational epidemiological studies that rely on exposure information to detect an exposure-response relationship. Future occupational epidemiological studies investigating fine aerosols exposures and health risk are encouraged to consider multiple metrics to see how they influence health outcomes risk. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Dust Epidemiology Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Dust Exposure Mine Workers Mining Industry Occupational Exposure Taconite
• ISSN:
  1351-0711
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  74
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061836
• Citation:
  Occup Environ Med 2017 Aug; 74(Suppl 1):A96
• Contact Point Address:
  Tran Huynh, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• CAS Registry Number:
  Taconite (CAS RN 12249-26-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Services
• Performing Organization:
  Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Proceedings of the 26th International Conference on Epidemiology in Occupational Health EPICOH 2017, Eliminating Occupational Disease: Translating Research into Action, August 28-31, 2017, Edinburgh, UK
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20190831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e748e6207ce84017ca4acaecd8c6504b3e49c3fb2ce69a6f847c84f804c3d29a43a6e32bdea00826e1e3b4aaecb71b3b9e9e5bc4e06e8881d2a6486acb68b208
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225206/cdc_225206_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 58.19 KB ]