Recent trends in respirable crystalline silica and elemental carbon exposure in the Ontario, Canada mining industry.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Annals Of Work Exposures and Health Pub Date : 2024-12-05 DOI:10.1093/annweh/wxae094

Victoria H Arrandale, Ali Shakeel, Kevin Hedges, Kimberly O'Connell, Melanie Gorman Ng

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Mining is a high-hazard industry with significant occupational disease risks. Despite this there is limited data describing current exposure conditions. The aim of this short communication is to share recent exposure data from underground mines in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Data from underground mines were accessed through a freedom of information request. Data were cleaned and standardized. Data contained measurements of several hazards from 2013 to 2018; analysis focused on personal samples for respirable crystalline silica (RCS) and elemental carbon (EC) from 2014 to 2018. Descriptive statistics were calculated overall and by sampling year; comparisons were made to current occupational exposure limits. Linear regression models were constructed to examine time trends.

Results: EC exposures decreased significantly, ~10% per year over the measurement period (2014 to 2018). Overall 14% of EC measurements were above the current mining exposure limit (0.12 mg/m3 EC) in Ontario, Canada. Results for silica did not show a statistically significant trend but did suggest a reduction of ~1.8% per year. Almost one-third of the RCS measurements were above the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) recommended threshold (0.025 mg/m3).

Conclusions: Current exposure data is needed to understand workers' exposure and support occupational disease prevention. Recent data from the Ontario mining industry suggests that exposure to elemental carbon decreased significantly from 2014 to 2018, but the annual reduction for silica exposure was not nearly as substantial. Mining workers continue to be exposed to levels of EC and RCS that are hazardous to health.

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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.