University of Missouri-Rolla Press, pp. In addition, this program will be responsible for the certification of coal mine dust personal sampling units. Currently, dust levels are measured by weighing dust collected on filters or with instantaneous electronic dust monitors. The filter method is used for compliance purposes, and results can take several weeks to process. The delay in receiving filter results prevents timely correction of excessive dust levels.
Electronic devices are complex, expensive, and cumbersome.
It is intended to be used as a screening tool to decide if additional, more rigorous, dust evaluation is warranted. It will also quickly alert miners and mine operators when miners are overexposed to dust. The relationship between differential pressure across various types of filter media and the mass of respirable dust collected on the filters, as well as the effect of diesel exhaust particulate on the differential pressure, is being studied. The development of the dosimeter has been done in partnership with the United Mine Workers of America, the U.K. s Health and Safety Executive, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Consolidation Coal Co., Jim Walter Resources, Inc., Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Minnesota. Prototype versions of the dosimeter have been received and tested, and manufacturing problems are currently being resolved.