Feasibility of respirable crystalline silica exposure reduction in small-scale tanzanite mining in Tanzania.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Pub Date : 2024-09-27 DOI:10.1093/annweh/wxae060

Manti Michael Nota, Stephen E Mbuligwe, Gabriel R Kassenga, Perry Gottesfeld

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Abstract

Introduction: Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposures in tanzanite gem mining have been linked to tuberculosis and silicosis among miners. We conducted a plot study to assess RCS exposures and to introduce safer mining practices in one small-scale underground tanzanite mine.

Materials and methods: Personal and area air samples for RCS were collected during tanzanite mining operations before and after improved work practices employed to reduce exposures and analyzed using X-ray diffraction. Area samples were collected at the rest area, located approximately 300 m underground and 100 m from other work activities. Improved practices included the use of wet drilling methods and drilling with new bits.

Results: A total of 33 personal and 4 area air samples were collected. Pre-intervention, mean exposures for all operations, drilling operations, non-drilling activities, and area samples were 122 mg/m3, 247 mg/m3, 34.3 mg/m3, and 1.95 mg/m3, respectively which exceeded the U.S. OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) by 2,440 times for all operations, by 4,946 times for drilling operations, by 686 times for non-drilling activities and 39 times for area samples collected at an underground rest area. The post-intervention results showed a 99% reduction of RCS exposures for wet drilling operations, 98.5% reduction for non-drilling activities, and 36% reduction for area samples. Despite improvements, post-intervention RCS exposures during drilling had a mean of 2.08 mg/m3 or more than 41 times the OSHA PEL.

Conclusions: We successfully piloted a program to work with small-scale tanzanite miners to reduce RCS exposures and raise awareness about the occupational health risks of RCS, though additional measures are recommended to further reduce RCS exposures. Similar programs should be taken to scale throughout underground mining sites in Tanzania and other countries.

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减少坦桑尼亚小规模坦桑石开采中可吸入结晶二氧化硅暴露的可行性。

导言：坦桑石宝石开采中的可吸入结晶二氧化硅（RCS）暴露与矿工的结核病和矽肺病有关。我们进行了一项小区研究，以评估 RCS 暴露情况，并在一个小型地下坦桑石矿中采用更安全的采矿方法：在坦桑石开采作业期间，我们收集了个人和区域空气中的 RCS 样本，并使用 X 射线衍射法进行分析。区域样本在休息区收集，休息区位于地下约 300 米处，距离其他工作活动 100 米。改进后的工作方法包括使用湿钻法和新钻头：共采集了 33 份个人空气样本和 4 份区域空气样本。干预前，所有作业、钻井作业、非钻井活动和区域样本的平均暴露量分别为 122 毫克/立方米、247 毫克/立方米、34.3 毫克/立方米和 1.95 毫克/立方米，超出美国职业安全与健康管理局允许暴露限值（PEL）2440 倍，钻井作业超出 4946 倍，非钻井活动超出 686 倍，在地下休息区采集的区域样本超出 39 倍。干预后的结果显示，湿钻井作业的 RCS 暴露减少了 99%，非钻井活动减少了 98.5%，区域样本减少了 36%。尽管情况有所改善，但干预后钻井过程中的 RCS 暴露平均为 2.08 mg/m3 或 OSHA PEL 的 41 倍以上：我们成功地试行了一项与小型坦桑石矿工合作的计划，以减少 RCS 暴露并提高人们对 RCS 职业健康风险的认识，但建议采取其他措施以进一步减少 RCS 暴露。类似的计划应该在坦桑尼亚和其他国家的地下采矿场推广。

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来源期刊

Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

19.20%

发文量

期刊介绍： About the Journal Annals of Work Exposures and Health is dedicated to presenting advances in exposure science supporting the recognition, quantification, and control of exposures at work, and epidemiological studies on their effects on human health and well-being. A key question we apply to submission is, "Is this paper going to help readers better understand, quantify, and control conditions at work that adversely or positively affect health and well-being?" We are interested in high quality scientific research addressing: the quantification of work exposures, including chemical, biological, physical, biomechanical, and psychosocial, and the elements of work organization giving rise to such exposures; the relationship between these exposures and the acute and chronic health consequences for those exposed and their families and communities; populations at special risk of work-related exposures including women, under-represented minorities, immigrants, and other vulnerable groups such as temporary, contingent and informal sector workers; the effectiveness of interventions addressing exposure and risk including production technologies, work process engineering, and personal protective systems; policies and management approaches to reduce risk and improve health and well-being among workers, their families or communities; methodologies and mechanisms that underlie the quantification and/or control of exposure and risk. There is heavy pressure on space in the journal, and the above interests mean that we do not usually publish papers that simply report local conditions without generalizable results. We are also unlikely to publish reports on human health and well-being without information on the work exposure characteristics giving rise to the effects. We particularly welcome contributions from scientists based in, or addressing conditions in, developing economies that fall within the above scope.