Mineralogic Analysis of Respirable Dust from 24 Underground Coal Mines in Four Geographic Regions of the United States

Sarver, Emily; Keleş, Çiğdem; Lowers, Heather A.; Zulfikar, R.; Zell-Baran, L.; Vorajee, Naseema; Sanyal, Soma; Rose, Cecile S.; Petsonk, Edward L.; Murray, Jill; Green, F.H.Y.; Go, L.; Franko, Angela; Abraham, Joanna; Almberg, K.S.; Cohen, Robert A.

doi:10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2020.201.1_meetingabstracts.a2635

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…There are variety of parameters that affect RCMD characterization (i.e., mineralogy properties, particle size, shape) in mines. For instance, recent findings by Sarver et al [128] supported the hypothesis that RCMD characterizations among mining regions differ substantially. Mineralogy composition and distributions of the RCMD particle size, which is impacted by geographic location, are essential to understanding the recent CWP resurgence [128].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Several investigators have proposed a number of potential reasons for the continued prevalence of pneumoconiosis of coal workers, including longer shift times, changes in mining technology, increased mining of higher quartz-bearing coal, and extraction of roof and floor rock strata for mining thin coal seams [11,39,40,79]. The content and characteristics of RCMD particles based on the geographical location of a coal mine requires further studies [7,38,128]. The issue of particle size versus particle mass and total mass or silica content is still in debate [7,23].…”

Section: Rcmd Characteristics and Characterization Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

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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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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Rcmd Characteristics and Characterization Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2021

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“…Regional variations in dust characteristics exist due to the geographical clustering of coal mines in the U.S.. In Central Appalachia, for instance, mines may have more rock strata sourced dust compared to other regions (Sarver et al 2020). Amandus' study showed that coal workers in the eastern region of Appalachian coal field, including West Virginia and Pennsylvania, are at a higher risk of CWP than U.S. western mines (Amandus and Piacitelli 1987;Thakur 2019).…”

Section: Geographic Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Johann-Essex et al 2017), which have been associated with severe lung diseases (Schatzel 2009). Other potential factors such as duration and level of exposure, mine operation type, coal and rock-strata geological conditions, dust characteristics (i.e., size, shape, mineralogy, elemental content), dust mitigation techniques, mine size, coal rank, and advancements in cutting technologies have also been suggested as contributing factors to the recent unexpected trend (Antao et al 2006;Gamble et al 2012;Blackley et al 2014;Johann-Essex et al 2017;Graber et al 2017;Dwyer-Lindgren et al 2017;Sarver et al 2019aSarver et al , 2020Shekarian 2020;Shekarian et al 2021aShekarian et al , 2021b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Shekarian

Rahimi

Shekarian

et al. 2021

Int J Coal Sci Technol

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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, 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 significant analytical challenge to the advancement of on-site RCS exposure monitoring approaches is the mineralogical complexity of the dust to which miners may be exposed. Respirable mine dust is comprised of multiple mineral phases, and the composition can be highly variable within the same commodity, across geographic regions [19], and even within the same mine site [20]. It is well known that the presence of multiple mineral phases complicates the quantification of RCS for both the XRD [13,21,22] and FTIR techniques.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complexity of Respirable Dust Found in Mining Operations as Characterized by X-ray Diffraction and FTIR Analysis

et al. 2021

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The mineralogical complexity of mine dust complicates exposure monitoring methods for occupational, respirable hazards. Improved understanding of the variability in respirable dust characteristics, e.g., mineral phase occurrence and composition, is required to advance on-site monitoring techniques that can be applied across diverse mining sectors. Principal components analysis (PCA) models were applied separately to XRD and FTIR datasets collected on 130 respirable dust samples from seven mining commodities to explore similarities and differences among the samples. Findings from both PCA models classified limestone, iron, and granite mine samples via their analytical responses. However, the results also cautioned that respirable samples from these commodities may not always fit patterns observed within the model. For example, one unique sample collected in a limestone mine contained no carbonate minerals. Future predictive quantification models should account for unique samples. Differences between gold and copper mine dust samples were difficult to observe. Further investigation suggested that the key to their differentiation by FTIR may lie in the characterization of clays. The results presented in this study provide foundational information for guiding the development of quantification models for respirable mineral hazards in the mining industry.

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Mineralogic Analysis of Respirable Dust from 24 Underground Coal Mines in Four Geographic Regions of the United States

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

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

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

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

Complexity of Respirable Dust Found in Mining Operations as Characterized by X-ray Diffraction and FTIR Analysis

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