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Health Effects Work Group.

NIOSH

NIOSH 1982 Oct:197-214

00185387

Health effects associated with using diesel equipment in underground coal mines were discussed. This was a summary of the discussion of the Health Effects Work Group. The group reviewed seven published epidemiological investigations on the health effects from diesel exposure. It was not possible to determine whether exposure to diesel exhausts presented an increased risk of respiratory disease or lung cancer because the studies were based on too few cases or insufficient exposure and latency periods. Six ongoing epidemiological studies including two being conducted by NIOSH and one conducted jointly by NIOSH and the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration, were described. It was felt that these studies when completed should help answer questions about the risk of cancer and chronic respiratory disease resulting from diesel exposure in underground mines. In-vivo and in-vitro studies were reviewed. Only a few studies on the effects of diesel exhausts in laboratory animals have been done. These have shown that diesel exhaust can induce skin cancer and cause pathological changes in the respiratory tract. An inventory of health effects associated with diesel exhaust emissions utilizing data provided by the Pollutant Interaction and Environmental Characterization Work Group indicated that diesel particulates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons acting independently or in combination with coal mine dust pose serious problems. Recommendations for conducting future epidemiological investigations and in-vivo and in-vitro studies on the health effects of diesel exhausts and coal dust were given.

NIOSH-Author; Coal-mining; Underground-mining; Occupational-health; Diesel-exhausts; Diesel-engines; Risk-analysis; Epidemiology; Malignant-neoplasms; In-vivo-studies; Lung-cancer; Coal-dust

19821001

Conference/Symposia Proceedings

1983

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 82-122

Proceedings of a Workshop on the Use of Diesel Equipment in Underground Coal Mines, Morgantown, West Virginia, September 19-23, 1977; Morgantown, West Virginia, NIOSH

WV