Dangers of Toxic Fumes from Blasting

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harris, Marcia L. ; Mainiero, Richard J. ; Rowland, James H. III
• Description:
  This paper reviews the potential hazards posed by the toxic fumes produced by detonating explosives in surface mining and construction operations. Blasting operations produce both toxic and nontoxic gaseous products; the toxic being mainly carbon monoxide (CO) and the oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)). The quantity of toxic gases produced by an explosive is affected by formulation, confinement, age of the explosive, and contamination of the explosive with water or drill cuttings, among others. Techniques to protect workers and the public from the potential hazards of explosive-related toxic fumes are discussed. These include: 1. Minimizing the quantity of toxic fumes produced. 2. Determining where the fumes may go so workers and neighbors can be moved out of harm's way. 3. Preventing the fumes from moving towards workers and neighbors. 4. Monitoring the air near workers and neighbors so they can be relocated if fumes appear. 5. Ventilating structures or confined spaces until CO falls below a hazardous concentration. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Coal Coal Mining Confined Spaces Explosions Explosive Agents Hazardous Substances Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety

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• Keywords:
  Blasting-agents Coal-mining Confined-spaces Explosives Fumes Hazards Health-hazards Mining-industry Occupational-hazards Occupational-health Surface-mining Toxic-gases Underground-miners Underground-mining

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  International Society of Explosives Engineers
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Pennsylvania ; Tennessee
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PRL - Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• Volume:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20032444
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, Nashville, Tennessee, January 28-31, 2007. Cleveland, OH: International Society of Explosives Engineers, 2007 Jan; 1:1-6
• Contact Point Address:
  NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Nitric oxide (CAS RN 10102-43-9) ; Nitrogen dioxide (CAS RN 10102-44-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, Nashville, Tennessee, January 28-31, 2007
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6f6f2692fcaaa88f885ca4f43f7c7c04d799199e836aa26c468893dc8194b2c7e437e41958d1616054e7e431f9a405d83c4d36f7d6c23ff7f3f19a760c731eca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/226798/cdc_226798_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.64 MB ]