Industrial hygiene aspects of underground oil shale mining
Health hazards associated with underground oil shale mining are summarized in this report. Commercial oil shale mining will be conducted on a very large scale. Conventional mining techniques of drilling, blasting, mucking, loading, scaling, and roof bolting will be employed. Room-and-pillar mining will be utilized in most mines, but mining in support of MIS retorting may also be conducted. Potential health hazards to miners may include exposure to oil shale dusts, diesel exhaust, blasting products, gases released from the oil shale or mine water, noise and vibration, and poor environmental conditions. Mining in support of MIS retorting may in addition include potential exposure to oil shale retort offgases and retort liquid products. Based upon the very limited industrial hygiene surveys and sampling in experimental oil shale mines, it does not appear that oil shale mining will result in special or unique health hazards. Further animal toxicity testing data could result in reassessment if findings are unusual. Sufficient information is available to indicate that controls for dust will be required in most mining activities, ventilation will be necessary to carry away gases and vapors from blasting and diesel equipment, and a combination of engineering controls and personal protection will likely be required for control of noise. Recommendations for future research are included.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 5113278
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-82-1284; CONF-820458-1; ON: DE82015743
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Conference on health issues related to metal and nonmetallic mining, Park City, UT, USA, 7 Apr 1982; Other Information: Portions of document are illegible
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
OIL SHALE MINING
HEALTH HAZARDS
DUSTS
EXHAUST GASES
GASES
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS
MINES
NOISE
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
UNDERGROUND MINING
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