NIOSH Publication No. 2008-110


Miners' Views About Personal Dust Monitors

February 2008

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Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis is the leading cause of death due to occupational illness among U.S. coal miners. This disease is caused by miners’ exposure to excessive levels of respirable coal mine dust. A personal dust monitor (PDM) has recently been developed to provide near real-time feedback to miners regarding the level of respirable coal dust in the air they breathe. The main objective of this report is to document coal miners’ reactions to this device and how they make use of the information it provides. It summarizes a field study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that documented the opinions of 30 miners at 4 underground coal mines concerning the use of PDMs.

Author(s):Peters-RH, Vaught-C, Hall-EE, Volkwein-JC
Reference:Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-110, Information Circular 9501, 2008 Feb; :1-47

   2008-110 (PDF, 285 KB)


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Page last updated: September 17, 2008
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Division