The Effectiveness of Several Enclosed Cab Filters and Systems for Reducing Diesel Particulate Matter

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cecala, Andrew B. ; Noll J ; Organiscak, John A.
• Description:
  Many underground metal/nonmetal mines are using enclosed cabs on mining equipment to reduce the exposure of miners to diesel particulate matter (DPM). However, some enclosed cab systems may not be meeting their expected efficiency in capturing DPM, which could be a result of inappropriate filter use, cab leaks, or insufficient pressurization. NIOSH investigated several types of filters for reducing DPM to determine which type had the best capture efficiency. The laboratory results indicated that a MERV 8 (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, as defined by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air- Conditioning Engineers) filter captured about 50 percent of the DPM, a MERV 16 filter collected 96-98 percent of the DPM, and two HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) grade filters captured over 99 percent of the DPM. NIOSH also performed a field study to measure the efficiency of two cabs at a limestone mine. The cab filtration systems of a loader and haul truck were found to be over 90 percent effective in removing DPM except under certain operating conditions when the efficiency was as low as 41 percent. Evidence seems to suggest that these conditions were when a window was open in the cab. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Metals Mining Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Vehicle Emissions
• Keywords:
  Diesel-emissions Diesel-exhausts Exposure-limits Filters Metal-mining Miners Mining-industry Nonmetal-mining Particulate-dust Particulates Underground-miners Underground-mining Workers

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OMSHR - Office of Mine Safety and Health Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20038501
• Citation:
  2011 SME Annual Meeting, February 27 - March 2, Denver, Colorado, Preprint 11-011. Englewood, CO: Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2011 Feb; :1-6
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  2011 SME Annual Meeting, February 27 - March 2, Denver, Colorado, Preprint 11-011
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:58f96ae050f478e19a8aa2192027d1e9d2df5d1f0e81976e38f00786cd6a5cf6d7625b66fd95be480a2416d35fd337e1676b4ca95648aff7405eedf7942fbba3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227317/cdc_227317_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 317.46 KB ]