Evaluation of Contamination Ingress for Built-in-Place Refuge Alternatives

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lutz T ; Noll J ; Yan L
• Description:
  Mine disasters, such as fires and explosions, can create a hazardous atmosphere due to the generation of carbon monoxide (CO). After a mine disaster, contaminated mine air can enter the refuge alternative (RA) as miners enter. Most built-in-place (BIP) RAs use an air delivery system to provide an unlimited supply of breathable air through a borehole which also serves to purge contaminants. In order to determine what levels of contaminants enter the RA, researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted testing in NIOSH's Pittsburgh Experimental Mine using groups of 5, 15, and 30 subjects entering the RA. The experiment used sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as a tracer gas that was released into the air outside of the BIP RA to establish a uniform concentration. After the human subjects entered the BIP RA, the SF6 levels inside the RA were measured to quantify how much of the tracer gas entered the BIP RA. In tests conducted while the borehole air supply was left off as test subjects entered, interior contaminant levels were less than 3% of the exterior concentration. In tests conducted with the borehole air supply activated as test subjects entered, the interior contaminant levels were measured at less than 2% of the exterior concentration. Considering a mine disaster can result in 10,000 ppm of CO in the mine atmosphere, these percentages indicate that unhealthy CO concentrations that may lead to headaches, dizziness, and loss of judgement can occur in a BIP RA. This information will help mines make decisions concerning air locks, air delivery systems and a determination if purging mechanisms are necessary. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Emergencies Hazardous Substances Laboratories Mining Occupational Health Respiratory System Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Air Analysis Air Cleaning Air Contamination Air Purifiers Air Quality Boreholes Breathing Emergency Equipment Emergency Shelters Gases Humans Laboratory Testing Mine Disasters Miners Mine Safety Mining-industry Refuge Chambers Sulfur Hexafluoride Toxic Gases Work Environment

  More +
• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051348
• Citation:
  2018 SME Annual Meeting, February 25-28, 2018, Minneapolis, Minnesota, preprint 18-049. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2018 Feb; :1-3
• Contact Point Address:
  T. Lutz, NIOSH, Pittsburgh, PA
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0) ; Sulfur hexafluoride (CAS RN 2551-62-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  2018 SME Annual Meeting, February 25-28, 2018, Minneapolis, Minnesota, preprint 18-049
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1b9434ea02a81471513e5315c5771ccd4eb3bb10e33b9e5daea2159d4f41db4a565019407bee8b5174d5c0e07f1dca0f9c27e70caf573a915e4d63c955d23209
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/227658/cdc_227658_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 238.02 KB ]