Implementing infrared determination of quartz particulates on novel filters for a prototype dust monitor

Tuchman, Donald P.; Volkwein, Jon C.; Vinson, Robert P.

doi:10.1039/b803804j

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…5,6 This personal dust monitor (PDM) has been successfully used to aid miners in reducing their exposure to coal dust by making changes to their work activities based on the continuous reading of the device 7 but does not provide information specific to silica exposure. Coal miners' exposure to silica is currently determined in the U.S. by collecting a filter sample and submitting it to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) where it is analyzed by an ashing and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) process known as the P7 analytical method.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating portable infrared spectrometers for measuring the silica content of coal dust

et al. 2012

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Miners face a variety of respiratory hazards while on the job, including exposure to silica dust which can lead to silicosis, a potentially fatal lung disease. Currently, field-collected filter samples of silica are sent for laboratory analysis and the results take weeks to be reported. Since the mining workplace is constantly moving into new and often different geological strata with changing silica levels, more timely data on silica levels in mining workplaces could help reduce exposures. Improvements in infrared (IR) spectroscopy open the prospect for end-of-shift silica measurements at mine sites. Two field-portable IR spectrometers were evaluated for their ability to quantify the mass of silica on filter samples loaded with known amounts of either silica or silica-bearing coal dust (silica content ranging from 10-200 µg/ filter). Analyses included a scheme to correct for the presence of kaolin, which is a confounder for IR analysis of silica. IR measurements of the samples were compared to parallel measurements derived using the laboratory-based U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration P7 analytical method. Linear correlations between Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and P7 data yielded slopes in the range of 0.90-0.97 with minimal bias. Data from a variable filter array spectrometer did not correlate as well, mainly due to poor wavelength resolution compared to the FTIR instrument. This work has shown that FTIR spectrometry has the potential to reasonably estimate the silica exposure of miners if employed in an end-of-shift method.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating portable infrared spectrometers for measuring the silica content of coal dust

et al. 2012

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“…8,12 To measure exposure to coal dust, NIOSH developed and certified a direct reading monitor. 13,14 This personal dust monitor (PDM) successfully aided miners in reducing their exposure to coal dust by making changes to their work activities and implementing dust control practices based on the continuous reading provided by the device. 15 However, while the PDM measures miners' exposure to total dust, it does not directly measure silica.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Measurement of Silica on Filter Samples of Coal Dust

Stipe¹,

Miller

Brown

et al. 2012

Appl Spectrosc

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Airborne silica dust (quartz) is common in coal mines and represents a respiratory hazard that can lead to silicosis, a potentially fatal lung disease. With an eye toward developing a portable monitoring device for rapid analysis of silica dust, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to quantify quartz in coal dust samples collected on filter media. Pure silica (Min-USil™ 5), Georgia kaolin, and Pittsburgh-4 and Illinois-6 coal dusts were deposited separately and at multiple mass loadings onto 37-mm polyvinylchloride (PVC) filters. LIBS-generated silicon emission was monitored at 288.16 nm, and non-silica contributions to that signal from kaolinite were removed by simultaneously detecting aluminum. Measurements of the four samples were used to calculate limits of detection (LOD) for silicon and aluminum of approximately 0.08 µg/cm 2 and 0.05 µg/cm 2 , respectively (corresponding to 0.16 µg/cm 2 and 0.20 µg/cm 2 for silica and kaolinite, respectively). Relative errors of prediction are around 10%. Results demonstrate that LIBS can dependably quantify silica on filter samples of coal dust and confirm that accurate quantification can be achieved for very lightly loaded samples, which supports the potential application of LIBS for rapid, in-field monitoring.

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“…The borosilicate fiberglass filters are also incompatible with the MSHA P7 analytical method, (24) an issue previously addressed by NIOSH research. (9) While the borosilicate filters do not contain crystalline silica, the fact that the siliceous content of the filter is not removed when the sample is ashed presents a potential source of interference during analysis for α -quartz. NIOSH researchers therefore demonstrated the efficacy of a novel filter medium for the PDM, a polyester-backed nylon fiber filter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…NIOSH researchers therefore demonstrated the efficacy of a novel filter medium for the PDM, a polyester-backed nylon fiber filter. (9) The nylon filter material and the original borosilicate material were incorporated into the current study, as well as PVC filters of the type that were used in a previous study in which transmission spectra were measured and analyzed. (14) …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Diffuse Reflection Infrared Spectrometry for End-of-Shift Measurement of α-quartz in Coal Dust Samples

Miller

Murphy

Bayman

et al. 2015

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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The inhalation of toxic substances is a major threat to the health of miners, and dust containing respirable crystalline silica (α-quartz) is of particular concern, due to the recent rise in cases of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis and silicosis in some U.S. mining regions. Currently, there is no field-portable instrument that can measure airborne α-quartz and give miners timely feedback on their exposure. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is therefore conducting studies to investigate technologies capable of end-of-shift or real-time measurement of airborne quartz. The present study focuses on the potential application of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry conducted in the diffuse reflection (DR) mode as a technique for measuring α-quartz in respirable mine dust. A DR accessory was used to analyze lab-generated respirable samples of Min-U-Sil 5 (which contains more than 90% α-quartz) and coal dust, at mass loadings in the ranges of 100–600 μg and 600–5300 μg, respectively. The dust samples were deposited onto three different types of filters, borosilicate fiberglass, nylon, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The reflectance, R, was calculated by the ratio of a blank filter and a filter with deposited mine dust. Results suggest that for coal and pure quartz dusts deposited on 37 mm PVC filters, measurements of −log R correlate linearly with known amounts of quartz on filters, with R2 values of approximately 0.99 and 0.94, respectively, for samples loaded up to ~4000 μg. Additional tests were conducted to measure quartz in coal dusts deposited onto the borosilicate fiberglass and nylon filter media used in the NIOSH-developed Personal Dust Monitor (PDM). The nylon filter was shown to be amenable to DR analysis, but quantification of quartz is more accurate when the filter is “free,” as opposed to being mounted in the PDM filter holder. The borosilicate fiberglass filters were shown to produce excessive interference, making quartz quantification impossible. It was concluded that, while the DR/FT-IR method is potentially useful for on-filter measurement of quartz in dust samples, the use of PVC filters produced the most accurate results.

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Implementing infrared determination of quartz particulates on novel filters for a prototype dust monitor

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Evaluating portable infrared spectrometers for measuring the silica content of coal dust

Evaluating portable infrared spectrometers for measuring the silica content of coal dust

Evaluation of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Measurement of Silica on Filter Samples of Coal Dust

Evaluation of Diffuse Reflection Infrared Spectrometry for End-of-Shift Measurement of α-quartz in Coal Dust Samples

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