PURPOSE:  The purpose of this new pilot project is to evaluate the feasibility of using two existing information sources created pursuant to MSHA and US EPA regulations to update estimates of coal miners’ exposure to hazardous chemicals.

RESEARCH SUMMARY:  Very little information is available in the literature describing quantitative exposure assessment of chemical exposure of coal miners. No comprehensive evaluation of potential chemical exposures in the mining industry has been performed since data collection for the National Occupational Health Survey of Mining (NOHSM) was completed in 1989. The NOHSM inventory may be obsolete or incomplete due to changes in mining technology and waste management regulations that have created or changed potential exposure sources. Examples of potential exposure sources in coal mining include welding fumes, solvents, lubricants, and coal preparation chemicals. Some of these chemical agents are recognized as presenting acute and/or chronic toxicity. This lack of data is a significant data gap that impedes an adequate understanding of the occupational health risks of coal miners.

Nine mines with varying operational characteristics (surface/underground, small/large, preparation plant present) will be solicited to provide NIOSH with a copy of their hazard communication (hazcom) inventory list maintained pursuant to 30 CFR 47. A questionnaire requesting information about the mine’s waste management activities has been developed, reviewed and will be included in the solicitation. The most current EPA TRI reports will be downloaded for the same nine mines responding to the hazcom inventory solicitation.

Hazcom inventory information received from the selected mines and from the associated EPA TRI report will be compared to NOHSM chemical inventory data for the coal sector to determine if gaps exist. Information from the questionnaire on hazardous waste management practices and the EPA TRI data reports will be examined to identify any potential chemical exposures attributable to hazardous waste management activities.

Each collected data set (hazcom and TRI) will be qualitatively compared to the NOHSM chemical inventory data set and to each other to identify any change(s) in the type(s) of chemicals reported since NOHSM was completed. Successful utilization of these data sets will allow for an estimation of current chemical exposures in the mining industry. Also, any non-representation of chemicals between the two collected sets will be identified.