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

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.

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An Analysis of Contributing Mining Factors in Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis Prevalence in the United States Coal Mines, 1986-2018

10.21203/rs.3.rs-506261/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Younes Shekarian ◽

Elham Rahimi ◽

Naser Shekarian ◽

Mohammad Rezaee ◽

Pedram Roghanchi

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Statistical Analysis ◽

Coal Mines ◽

The United States ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Western Region ◽

Health Administration ◽

Underground Coal Mines ◽

The Western Region ◽

Coal Workers

Abstract In the United States, an unexpected and severe increase in coal miners’ lung diseases in the late 1990s prompted researchers to investigate the causes of the disease resurgence. This study aims to scrutinize the effects of various mining parameters, including coal rank, mine size, mining method, coal seam height, and geographical location on the prevalence of CWP in surface and underground coal mines. A comprehensive dataset was created using the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Employment and Accident/Injury databases. The information was merged based on the mine ID by utilizing SQL data management software. A total number of 123,643 mine-year observations were included in the statistical analysis. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was used to conduct a statistical analysis on a total of 29,707, and 32,643 mine-year observations for underground and surface coal mines, respectively. The results of the econometrics approach revealed that coal workers in underground coal mines are at a greater risk of CWP comparing to those of surface coal operations. Furthermore, underground coal mines in the Appalachia and Interior regions are at a higher risk of CWP prevalence than the Western region. Surface coal mines in the Appalachian coal region are more susceptible to CWP than miners in the Western region. The analysis also indicated that coal workers working in smaller mines are more vulnerable to CWP than those in large mine sizes. Furthermore, coal workers in thin-seam underground mine operations are more likely to develop CWP.

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“Nuisance Dust”: Unprotective Limits for Exposure to Coal Mine Dust in the United States, 1934–1969

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2012.300932 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 103 (2) ◽

pp. 238-249 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Alan Derickson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Coal Mine ◽

The United States ◽

Mine Dust

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Analysis of Historical Worker Exposures to Respirable Dust from Talc Mining and Milling Operations in Vermont

Annals of Work Exposures and Health ◽

10.1093/annweh/wxaa010 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 416-429

Author(s):

Alan Rossner ◽

Pamela R D Williams ◽

Elayna Mellas-Hulett ◽

Mohammad Arifur Rahman

Keyword(s):

Control Strategies ◽

The United States ◽

Arithmetic Mean ◽

Crystalline Silica ◽

Consumer Products ◽

Dust Concentration ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Respirable Dust ◽

Health Administration ◽

Exposure Limits

Abstract Objectives Talc is mined and milled throughout the world for use in a variety of industrial and consumer products. Although prior studies have evaluated workplace exposures or health effects from talc operations, the primary emphasis of these investigations has been on certain mineral contaminants (e.g. crystalline silica and asbestos) rather than talc itself. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate historical worker exposures to respirable dust (as a measure of talc exposures) in the Vermont talc mines and mills, which involved a relatively pure form of talc (i.e. no asbestos and <0.25% or <1% crystalline silica). Methods Respirable dust sampling data collected for workers in the Vermont mines and mills, which have not been previously published, were obtained from both mining company records and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspections. Because of differences in sampling design, the company and MSHA data were analyzed and reported separately. Overall, nearly 700 respirable dust samples collected for 44 job categories at 7 site locations over an approximate 30-year period were analyzed. Results Average respirable dust concentrations were found to exceed occupational exposure limits (OELs) in the United States and other countries for several job categories and site locations. Regardless of data source, the highest observed exposures were for mining jobs involving the operation of heavy equipment to break up, move, or load raw ore from the mines and milling or shipping jobs involving the crushing of raw ore, cleaning and drying of processed talc, and bagging and packaging of the final talc product. When analyzing the company data, the arithmetic mean respirable dust concentration was 2.73 mg m−3 for Muckerman at Hammondsville Mine, 3.18 mg m−3 for dosco operator at Ludlow mines, 1.35 mg m−3 for crusher operator at Gassetts Mill, 2.4 mg m−3 for palletizer at West Windsor Mill, and 2.68 mg m−3 for bagging operator at Columbia Shipping Center. When analyzing the MSHA data, the arithmetic mean respirable dust concentration was 3.5 mg m−3 for kiln/dryer operator at Hammondsville Mine, 1.27 mg m−3 for driller at Ludlow mines, 3.69 mg m−3 for ball mill operator at Columbia mill, 3.02 mg m−3 for flotation operator at West Windsor Mill, and 3.24 mg m−3 for bagging operator at Columbia Shipping Center. Worker exposures were found to decline over time for many, but not all, jobs. Conclusions Our findings highlight potential high-risk jobs that might benefit from additional exposure control strategies at current or future talc manufacturing sites. The respirable dust measurements summarized here may also be used to reconstruct historical worker exposures at the Vermont sites or aid in subsequent epidemiology studies of this cohort focused on malignant or non-malignant respiratory disease.

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A comparative policy analysis of coal mine safety regulations in the United States and Poland

Studies in Comparative Communism ◽

10.1016/0039-3592(84)90034-6 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 17 (3-4) ◽

pp. 254

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Policy Analysis ◽

Coal Mine ◽

The United States ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Safety Regulations ◽

Coal Mine Safety ◽

Comparative Policy Analysis ◽

Comparative Policy

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An analysis of contributing mining factors in coal workers’ pneumoconiosis prevalence in the United States coal mines, 1986–2018

International Journal of Coal Science & Technology ◽

10.1007/s40789-021-00464-y ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Younes Shekarian ◽

Elham Rahimi ◽

Naser Shekarian ◽

Mohammad Rezaee ◽

Pedram Roghanchi

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Statistical Analysis ◽

Coal Mines ◽

The United States ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Western Region ◽

Health Administration ◽

Underground Coal Mines ◽

The Western Region ◽

Coal Workers

AbstractIn the United States, an unexpected and severe increase in coal miners’ lung diseases in the late 1990s prompted researchers to investigate the causes of the disease resurgence. This study aims to scrutinize the effects of various mining parameters, including coal rank, mine size, mine operation type, coal seam height, and geographical location on the prevalence of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) in surface and underground coal mines. A comprehensive dataset was created using the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Employment and Accident/Injury databases. The information was merged based on the mine ID by utilizing SQL data management software. A total number of 123,589 mine-year observations were included in the statistical analysis. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) model was used to conduct a statistical analysis on a total of 29,707, and 32,643 mine-year observations for underground and surface coal mines, respectively. The results of the econometrics approach revealed that coal workers in underground coal mines are at a greater risk of CWP comparing to those of surface coal operations. Furthermore, underground coal mines in the Appalachia and Interior regions are at a higher risk of CWP prevalence than the Western region. Surface coal mines in the Appalachian coal region are more likely to CWP development than miners in the Western region. The analysis also indicated that coal workers working in smaller mines are more vulnerable to CWP than those in large mine sizes. Furthermore, coal workers in thin-seam underground mine operations are more likely to develop CWP.

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A survey of blasting activity in the United States

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America ◽

10.1785/bssa0820031416 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 82 (3) ◽

pp. 1416-1433

Author(s):

Paul G. Richards ◽

Douglas A. Anderson ◽

David W. Simpson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Size Distribution ◽

Seismic Source ◽

The United States ◽

B Value ◽

Cumulative Distribution ◽

Mine Safety ◽

Health Administration ◽

Private Company ◽

Chemical Explosions

Abstract Statistical information on chemical explosions is needed in seismology, to evaluate the practical difficulties in identifying this very common type of seismic source from other seismic sources such as small earthquakes and small nuclear explosions. We have obtained data on blasting activity from three different sources: (1) overview information from the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) on the total amount of chemical explosives used in the United States during 1987, with breakdowns into different explosive types, and usage by different states; (2) overview information from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) on the numbers of mines, of different types, in the United States; and (3) detailed information from a private company (Vibra-Tech Engineers, Inc.) on total shot size and size of charge per delay for 20,813 blasts carried out in 1987 at 532 locations. Our procedure has been to extrapolate the detailed information contained in the 1987 Vibra-Tech data for a limited number of states and thus to obtain estimates for the whole country on numbers of shots and their size distribution. The extrapolation is constrained by the data from USBM (numbers of shots, sizes) and the MSHA (locations). Blasting activity does not fluctuate greatly from year to year and 1987 was representative of current practice. We find that about 2.2 million metric tons of chemical explosive are used annually in the continental U.S., principally in mining for coal and metal ores. On a typical work day, there are roughly 30 explosions greater than 50 tons, including about one greater than 200 tons. There was one industrial explosion in 1987 at about 1400 tons. For shots between 1 ton and 100 tons, the cumulative distribution has a b-value near unity; that is, if N is the number of shots (per year) greater than or equal to W tons, N ∝ 10 − b log ⁡ W = W − b with b roughly equal to 1. This result is similar to the size distribution of earthquakes greater than magnitude mb, N ∝ 10 − b m b . Almost all chemical explosions above 1 ton are ripple-fired. The typical shot uses 20 to 50 separate delays.

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Transformation of the US Veterans Health Administration

Health Economics Policy and Law ◽

10.1017/s1744133105001222 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 99-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jonathan B. Perlin

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

The United States ◽

Veterans Affairs ◽

United States Department ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Department Of Veterans Affairs ◽

Health Administration ◽

The Us

Ten years ago, it would have been hard to imagine the publication of an issue of a scholarly journal dedicated to applying lessons from the transformation of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Health System to the renewal of other countries' national health systems. Yet, with the recent publication of a dedicated edition of the Canadian journal Healthcare Papers (2005), this actually happened. Veterans Affairs health care also has been similarly lauded this past year in the lay press, being described as ‘the best care anywhere’ in the Washington Monthly, and described as ‘top-notch healthcare’ in US News and World Report's annual health care issue enumerating the ‘Top 100 Hospitals’ in the United States (Longman, 2005; Gearon, 2005).

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