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Control of Airborne Respirable Dust Hazards: A Training Program for Underground Coal Miners

Control of Airborne Respirable Dust Hazards: A Training Program for Underground Coal Miners. Penn State. The Penn State Miner Training Program University Park, PA 16802 Raja V. Ramani, Ph.D., P.E, C.M.S.P. Mark C. Radomsky, Ph.D. MPA, C.M.S.P. Joseph P. Flick, M.S., C.M.S.P.

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Control of Airborne Respirable Dust Hazards: A Training Program for Underground Coal Miners

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  1. Control of Airborne Respirable Dust Hazards:A Training Program for Underground Coal Miners Penn State The Penn State Miner Training Program University Park, PA 16802 Raja V. Ramani, Ph.D., P.E, C.M.S.P. Mark C. Radomsky, Ph.D. MPA, C.M.S.P. Joseph P. Flick, M.S., C.M.S.P. March 31, 2003

  2. CENTERS FOR DISEASECONTROL AND PREVENTION NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH GENERIC MINERAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER ON RESPIRABLE DUST PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF DEEP MINE SAFETY

  3. RESPIRABLE DUST TRAINING PROGRAM Section 3 HEALTH HAZARDS OF COAL MINE DUST

  4. How Airborne Agents Can Affect the Lungs The respiratory system can be damaged in several different ways by inhaled substances: • Very small particles like coal, silica, and asbestos can get into the alveoli and cause debilitating lung diseases • Inhaled chemical substances can irritate the respiratory tract at the site of contact (e.g. blasting aftergases)

  5. Airborne Mine Dusts The particle size distribution of dust in mine air include: Respirable, Thoracic and Inhalable mass fractions. • Respirable dust deposits in the gas exchange region, < 5 microns in size • Thoracic dust deposits anywhere in the lung airways and the gas exchange region, < 25 microns in size • Inhalable dust deposits anywhere in the respiratory tract, < 100 microns in size

  6. According to the 1969 Coal Act, any dust collected in a coal mine by an approved sampler for coal mine respirable dust is respirable dust.

  7. Particles less than 10 microns in size are said to be in the "Respirable Range" If you breath them, they can make their way into the alveolar sacs in the lung

  8. Some types of respiratory illnesses can occur quickly after short-term exposures, or develop slowly after many years of exposure

  9. Variables Affecting Respiratory Health • The degree of any type of health hazard depends on many variables • Several common variables influence where, when, and what type of respiratory illness may occur • Individual variables include age and individual sensitivities

  10. Common Variables Affecting Respiratory Health • How much was the person exposed to? • How long was the person exposed to the substance? • How often was the person exposed to the substance? • What were the toxic properties of the substance?

  11. How much of a substance you breathe, and how long you breathe it are major factors in respiratory illnesses

  12. Individual Variables Affecting Respiratory Health • Age • General health • Individual sensitivities • The efficiency of individual's lung clearing mechanisms • Multi-system effect: When lung function is reduced, additional stress is placed on the cardiovascular system

  13. Health Hazards of Respirable Coal Mine Dust • Coal Mine Dust is not Coal Dust but a Complex mixture of more than fifty [50] elements and their oxides. It may contain Coal, Silica, Pyrite, Clays, Organic Materials, etc. • Health Hazards of Coal Mine Dust Are: • Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis • Silicosis • Mixed Dust Pneumoconiosis • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

  14. Dust Caused Lung Disease • Dusts can cause various forms of “Pneumoconiosis,” which means “a disease caused from breathing dust” • Silicosis and Black Lung are two forms of Pneumoconiosis, and result from breathing silica or coal dust

  15. Overview of Two Important Respiratory Conditions • Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP) • Silicosis

  16. Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis(CWP)

  17. Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis • Also called Black Lung • A CWP is the accumulation of coal dust in the lungs and the lung tissue’s reaction to the dust • It usually takes several years of exposure to coal dust to make a diagnosis of CWP • Exposure to coal dust can reduce the efficiency of the mucociliary escalator in clearing inhaled coal dust from the lungs, and reduce the efficiency of the muscles in the airway walls

  18. Silicosis

  19. Silicosis • Silicosis is a type of pneumoconiosis caused by inhaling free crystalline silica (quartz) • When very small silica particles enter the alveolar sacs, the macrophages engulf, and attempt to destroy them • After engulfing the silica particles, the macrophages die and enzymes are released, causing fibrous tissue to develop

  20. Silicosis is the oldest known occupational disease

  21. The Normal Lung

  22. Normal Lung Versus Silicotic Lung Normal lung Silicotic lung

  23. Proceed to Section 4 Respirable Coal Mine Dust Standards

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