Air Sampling Programs Help Determine Asbestos Risk in Mines

Read the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) report about the risk to miners. They are routinely exposed to carcinogens such as asbestos in mines.

The identification of a high risk area may be more straightforward than the selection of a maximum risk miner. The following considerations should help determine sampling areas:

• Measurement: Direct-read instruments, such as detector tubes and methanometers, may be used to measure the immediate concentration of contaminant in a given area. Due to the normal variability and fluctuations within the mining environment, the results of an instantaneous sample may not be representative of conditions throughout the normal work day. Further evaluation should be made when a direct-read instrument indicates a potentially elevated contaminant concentration.
Experience: Mining processes and operations using known toxic reagents or generating recognized toxic by-products should be considered for sampling. Hazardous contaminants are known to be generated during mining operations which involve grinding, crushing, welding, cutting, combustion, spraying, and metal melting.

Courtesy of http://www.msha.gov/S&HINFO/OPRSAMP/OPRSAMP.HTM

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