Mineralogical and chemical characterization of airborne dust particles and their environmental effects in the open pit coal mining area in Quang Ninh NE Vietnam Abstract: Vast reserves of anthracite coal have been detected in the Quang Ninh province in the northeastern region of Vietnam (reserves~6.3 Gt). Cam Pha located in the Quang Ninh province is one of the largest anthracite coal mining areas. Coal mining activities are a source of atmospheric pollution and are also detrimental to water quality. These factors are a hazard to human health. <br>This study is aimed at characterizing the forms of environmental pollution derived from coal mining activities and mine waste. Mining leads to environmental damage through airborne dust acid mine drainage and chemical weathering of waste rock. One aim of this study was to identify the source of airborne dust in this area and its chemical and physical properties were characterized as well as its effects on human health focusing on identifying the source of the coal miners’ occupational diseases. A second aim was to determine the effects of acid mine drainage on water quality near the largest coal mine in the area. In order to achieve these goals field samples including: airborne particles coal and waste rock material in overburden piles mine tailings dumps water samples and the lung lavage samples were collected. The mineral composition of solid samples was determined by using a variety of complementary microscopic and bulk analysis techniques (e.g. EMPA XRD SEM EDS F AAS GF AAS ICP MS). The results showed that dust lung lavages and waste rock were composed of the same mineral components such as: quartz kaolinite illite and muscovite. Furthermore the bulk chemical composition of airborne particles were investigated which were then compared to the composition of other solid samples (e.g. waste rock coal). To establish a link between airborne dust particles and these materials it is of utmost importance to understand the geological features of coal mining area. Finally a relationship between trace metal concentrations in solid samples (e.g waste rock coal airborne dust) the rice paddy soils in Cam Pha and the lung lavages from miners were found in the Cam Pha mining area