Promoting early exposure monitoring for respirable crystalline silica: Taking the laboratory to the mine site

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Occup Environ Hyg
• Personal Author:
  Cauda, Emanuele ; Miller, Arthur ; Drake, Pamela
• Description:
  The exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in the mining industry is a recognized occupational hazard. The assessment and monitoring of the exposure to RCS is limited by two main factors: (1) variability of the silica percent in the mining dust and (2) lengthy off-site laboratory analysis of collected samples. The monitoring of respirable dust via traditional or real-time techniques is not adequate. A solution for on-site quantification of RCS in dust samples is being investigated by the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, a division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The use of portable Fourier transform infrared analyzers in conjunction with a direct-on-filter analysis approach is proposed. The progress made so far, the necessary steps in progress, and the application of the monitoring solution to a small data set is presented. When developed, the solution will allow operators to estimate RCS immediately after sampling, resulting in timelier monitoring of RCS for self-assessment of compliance at the end of the shift, more effective engineering monitoring, and better evaluation of control technologies.
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Coal Dust Environmental Monitoring Humans Inhalation Exposure Mining Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Silicon Dioxide
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Hyg. 13(3):D39-D45.
• Pubmed ID:
  26558490
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5576139
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States
• Name as Subject:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.)
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  3
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:b9bbc3e45cff95e57eaa23fa9a3dc01f83d5cc54ae1464f1b7c83bb28edf560a
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/47867/cdc_47867_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 123.42 KB ]