German Experience.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Kraft DA
• Description:
  The West German experience with using diesel equipment in underground coal mines was discussed. Comparisons between diesel engines used in motor vehicles and mine equipment were made. It was suggested that concerns about the health effects of diesel exhaust emissions have been overemphasized. Even though automobiles with diesel engines operate in an environment that is not restricted compared with the mine environment, the driver and passengers are breathing the same exhaust. A study of nonsmoking individuals breathing urban air containing diesel exhausts has shown that they had, at most, 3 percent carboxyhemoglobin in their blood while smokers had 9.6 percent. A level of 4 percent carboxyhemoglobin was recommended by the World Health Organization as the maximum acceptable limit thus indicating that diesel exhaust emissions did not exceed acceptable levels. The administrative setup for regulating the West German coal industry was described. The West German standards for soot, carbon-monoxide (630080), nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons as they apply to using diesel equipment in underground mines were discussed. It was noted that since oil imported from the Near East has become very expensive, previously inactive coal mines have become reactivated. Very little interest, however, has been shown in the health effects of exposure to diesel exhaust emissions. The author concludes that since the market for diesel equipment in underground mines is increasing, the health implications of diesel exhaust should be considered. The transcript of a question and answer session was included. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollution Air Pollution, Indoor Automobiles Coal Coal Mining Fuel Oils Mining Occupational Health Safety Vehicle Emissions
• Keywords:
  Diesel-engines; Diesel-exhausts; Motor-vehicles; Coal-mining; Air-quality; Fuels; Underground-mining
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  91-94
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00185380
• Citation:
  NIOSH 1982 Oct:91-94
• CAS Registry Number:
  Carbon monoxide (CAS RN 630-08-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1983
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of a Workshop on the Use of Diesel Equipment in Underground Coal Mines, Morgantown, West Virginia, September 19-23, 1977; Morgantown, West Virginia, NIOSH
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7dc847c09aedf140bc731323e8446b4703641ae07d6ad9e7b7238120dab30b8f7dcaa9b938d34d035f87873a0fe7fec262d5d13dcaf290925445e82b6de3b57d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/236996/cdc_236996_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 168.02 KB ]