Respirable Coal Mine Dust: A Review of Respiratory Deposition, Regulations, and Characterization

Details

• Personal Author:
  Rahimi E ; Rezaee M ; Roghanchi P ; Shekarian Y ; Su W-C
• Description:
  In the late 1990s, despite years of efforts to understand and reduce coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) prevalence from more than 30% in 1970 to less than 4.2%, the level of occurrence among the US coal miners increased unexpectedly. The recent resurgence of lung diseases has raised concerns in the scientific and regulatory communities. In 2014, the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) issued a new dust rule changing the respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) exposure limits, measurement technology, and sampling protocol. The analysis for probable causes for the substantial increase in the CWP incidence rate is rather complicated. This paper aims to conduct a review of RCMD respiratory deposition, health effects, monitoring, regulations, and particle characteristics. The primary sources of RCMD along with the health risks from potential exposure are highlighted, and the current RCMD exposure regulations of the major coal producer countries are compared. A summary of RCMD characterization studies from 1972 to the present is provided. A review of the literature revealed that numerous factors, including geological and mining parameters, advancements in mining practices, particle characteristics, and monitoring approaches are considered to contribute to the recent resurgence of RCMD lung diseases. However, the root causes of the problem are still unknown. The effectiveness of the new dust rules in the United States will probably take years to be correctly assessed. Therefore, future research is needed to understand the relationship between RCMD particle characteristics and lung deposition, and the efficacy of current monitoring practices to measure the true dose of RCMD exposure. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Dust Lung Lung Diseases Mining Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Respirable Coal Mine Dust Black Lung Disease Coal Dust Coal Dust Characteristics Coal Mines Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Exposure Limits And Regulations Lung Deposition Occupational Exposure Limits Occupational Health OELs Regulations Respirable Dust Respiratory Diseases

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• ISSN:
  2075-163X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New Mexico ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Pennsylvania ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068074
• Citation:
  Minerals 2021 Jul; 11(7):696
• Contact Point Address:
  Mohammad Rezaee, Center for Critical Minerals, John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) Energy Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, State College, PA 16802, US
• Email:
  m.rezaee@psu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20190915
• Source Full Name:
  Minerals
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7511025bf60044875bd98129f8edefa515e0980f6cf6a82e46fc7c3ae0f658965cf084b38a7efb8ab8dd972663a876fcf79a6678141fee80177c0b0ab4abdb08
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230293/cdc_230293_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.84 MB ]