1. Control of Airborne Respirable Dust Hazards: A Training Program for Underground Coal Miners 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 Penn State

2. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

3. GENERIC MINERAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER ON RESPIRABLE DUST PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF DEEP MINE SAFETY

4. TRAINING PROGRAM PURPOSES  Various dusts that may be present in the mine environment  Human respiratory system and the protective mechanisms in the system  Health hazards associated with coal mine dust The purposes of the training program are to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the:

5. TRAINING PROGRAM PURPOSES  Mandatory respirable coal mine dust standards  Miners’ rights and operators’ responsibilities  Generic methods of contaminant control and hierarchy of controls  Underground mining methods and sources of dust – Longwall and Continuous mining methods

6. TRAINING PROGRAM PURPOSES  Longwall dust control methods  Continuous mining dust control methods  Dust control plan parameters  Personal dust sampler and operator’s sampling program  Medical surveillance program

7. Respirable Dust Training Program Section 1 TYPES OF DUSTS

8.  Dusts  Mists  Fumes Airborne agents in mining that can cause injury or respiratory illness, or disease Potentially Harmful Airborne Agents  Gases  Vapors  Smoke

9. Dusts  Very small solid particles  Usually result from a larger piece of the same material being crushed, drilled, struck, ground, or detonated  Dusts settle from the air by the force of gravity Probably the most hazardous to miners

10. Dust particles can be so small and so light that they act nearly the same as air itself

11. Types of Mine Dusts  Fibrogenic Dusts – Capable of producing fibrosis or scarring of lung tissues, e.g. silica, coal, silicates, iron ore.  Carcinogenic Aerosols – Capable or suspected of causing cancers, e.g. asbestos, diesel particulate matter, silica.  Toxic Aerosols – Poisonous to body organs and tissues, e.g. ores of lead, uranium, arsenic, beryllium.

12. Types of Mine Dusts  Radioactive Dusts - These cause injuries because of alpha and beta radiation, e.g. ores of uranium, radium, thorium and radon daughters attached to other dusts.  Explosive Dusts - These dusts can cause explosions under suitable conditions, e.g. coal, pyrite and metallic dusts.  Nuisance Dusts - Dusts with no particular health effect on humans, e.g. gypsum, limestone

13. * IMPORTANT * 1. No dust should be considered as harmless to human health. When inhaled in large quantities, the body’s defensive mechanisms can be overwhelmed. 2.In mining, it is common to have a mixture of dusts due to mining the roof or floor or both [the country rock] with the coal seam or the ore body. Other sources of dust include rock dust, wood supplies, and diesel engines, if used.

14. Proceed to Section 2 Human Respiratory System