Estimates and Predictions of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis Cases among Redeployed Coal Workers of the Fuxin Mining Industry Group in China: A Historical Cohort Study.

This research was aimed at estimating possible Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) cases as of 2012, and predicting future CWP cases among redeployed coal workers from the Fuxin Mining Industry Group. This study provided the scientific basis for regulations on CWP screening and diagnosis and labor insurance policies for redeployed coal workers of resource-exhausted mines. The study cohort included 19,116 coal workers. The cumulative incidence of CWP was calculated by the life-table method. Possible CWP cases by occupational category were estimated through the average annual incidence rate of CWP and males' life expectancy. It was estimated that 141 redeployed coal workers might have suffered from CWP as of 2012, and 221 redeployed coal workers could suffer from CWP in the future. It is crucial to establish a set of feasible and affordable regulations on CWP screening and diagnosis as well as labor insurance policies for redeployed coal workers of resource-exhausted coal mines in China.

An aftermath analysis of the 2014 coal mine accident in Soma, Turkey: Use of risk performance indicators based on historical experience.

On the 13th of May 2014 a fire related incident in the Soma coal mine in Turkey caused 301 fatalities and more than 80 injuries. This has been the largest coal mine accident in Turkey, and in the OECD country group, so far. This study investigated if such a disastrous event should be expected, in a statistical sense, based on historical observations. For this purpose, PSI's ENSAD database is used to extract accident data for the period 1970-2014. Four different cases are analyzed, i.e., OECD, OECD w/o Turkey, Turkey and USA. Analysis of temporal trends for annual numbers of accidents and fatalities indicated a non-significant decreasing tendency for OECD and OECD w/o Turkey and a significant one for USA, whereas for Turkey both measures showed an increase over time. The expectation analysis revealed clearly that an event with the consequences of the Soma accident is rather unlikely for OECD, OECD w/o Turkey and USA. In contrast, such a severe accident has a substantially higher expectation for Turkey, i.e. it cannot be considered an extremely rare event, based on historical experience. This indicates a need for improved safety measures and stricter regulations in the Turkish coal mining sector in order to get closer to the rest of OECD.

"I used to be as fit as a linnet" - beliefs, attitudes, and environmental supportiveness for physical activity in former mining areas in the North-East of England.

Studies of geographical variations in physical activity behaviours have suggested that activity levels are particularly low in areas that have undergone employment loss associated with the decline of industry. This is of concern given that affected populations are already at risk of poor health. Applying focus group methodology amongst 19 participants in four groups, this study aims to unpack how broader societal and environmental changes associated with industrial decline affect beliefs and attitudes towards physical activity in ex-mining communities in the North-East of England. Identified core themes comprise the direct impact of deindustrialisation on social and physical environments. Based on our findings, we provide evidence for mechanisms that operate via loss of occupational physical activity as well as the progressive development of environments that are not fit to support population activity levels. Particularly important was the loss of recreational facilities, public green spaces and sports facilities that were owned and organised by the miners themselves with support from the mining companies. Attitudes and beliefs directly related to the areas' industrial past were also seen to be key. We suggest that the development of interventions considering the socio-cultural history and socio-economic reality of communities could be a promising route to encourage more active lifestyles in deprived areas with particularly low levels of physical activity.

The accident analysis of mobile mine machinery in Indian opencast coal mines.

This paper presents the analysis of large mining machinery related accidents in Indian opencast coal mines. The trends of coal production, share of mining methods in production, machinery deployment in open cast mines, size and population of machinery, accidents due to machinery, types and causes of accidents have been analysed from the year 1995 to 2008. The scrutiny of accidents during this period reveals that most of the responsible factors are machine reversal, haul road design, human fault, operator's fault, machine fault, visibility and dump design. Considering the types of machines, namely, dumpers, excavators, dozers and loaders together the maximum number of fatal accidents has been caused by operator's faults and human faults jointly during the period from 1995 to 2008. The novel finding of this analysis is that large machines with state-of-the-art safety system did not reduce the fatal accidents in Indian opencast coal mines.

'Fishing' for alternatives to mountaintop mining in southern West Virginia.

Mountaintop removal mining (MTR) is a major industry in southern West Virginia with many detrimental effects for small to mid-sized streams, and interest in alternative, sustainable industries is on the rise. As a first step in a larger effort to assess the value of sport fisheries in southern West Virginia, we estimate the potential abundances of two popular sport fishes-smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)-in the Coal River Basin (CRB). A self-thinning model that incorporates net primary production and terrestrial insect subsidies is first used to predict potential densities of adult (age 1+) smallmouth bass and brook trout. Predicted densities (fish ha(-1)) are then multiplied by the surface area of the CRB stream network (ha) to estimate regional abundance. Median predicted abundances of bass and trout are 38 806 and 118 094 fish (total abundances with the CRB), respectively. However, when streams that intersect permitted MTR areas in the CRB are removed from the dataset, predicted abundances of bass and trout decrease by ~12-14 %. We conclude that significant potential exists in the CRB to capitalize on sport fisheries, but MTR may be undermining this potential.

Progression of pneumoconiosis in coal miners after cessation of dust exposure: a longitudinal study based on periodic chest X-ray examinations in Hokkaido, Japan.

BACKGROUND: The progression rate of pneumoconiosis in retired coal miners over ten years has not been studied in Japan. METHODS: A retrospective longitudinal study was undertaken using chest X-rays of 1091 pneumoconiosis subjects in Hokkaido, Japan between 1985 and 2005. RESULTS: The final numbers of subjects were 207 (19% of the entry) after 1 decade and 85 (8%) after 2 decades. Sixty-two percent of 207 subjects after 1 decade and 29% of 85 showed progression in 2 decades. Thirty-one percent of ILO category 1 and 55% of category 2 subjects showed progression to complicated pneumoconiosis after 1 decade, and 6% (4 of 64) of category 1 and 6% (5 of 77) of category 2 subjects progressed to complicated pneumoconiosis during 2 decades. CONCLUSION: The progression of pneumoconiosis was observed after the cessation of dust exposure, especially during the first 10 years.

Sources of air pollution due to coal mining and their impacts in Jharia coalfield.

Indian coal consumption is about 5.5% of the world and the share of coal as energy went up to 66%. The increasing trend of opencast coal mining lead to release of dust and gaseous pollutants. The Indian reserve of coking coal is mainly located in Jharia coalfield and having reserves upto a depth of 1219m are 19339 Mt. The coalfield is subjected to intensive mining activities and accounts for 30% of the total Indian coal production. Coal mining in Jharia coalfield and the sources of air pollution along with the production of air pollutants have been described. The dust particles act as centres of catalysis for many of the chemical reactions taking place in the atmosphere. Characteristics and effects of the pollutants have been discussed. An estimate of the dust generated and discharged into the atmosphere can be made by using emission factor or prediction type equations. It is disirable that this exercise is to be undertaken in planning stage so that adequate and appropriate mitigating measures can be incorporated into the project at least cost.

Recent developments in coal mining technology and their impact on miners' health.

Advances in technology have significantly reduced the long-term health risks associated with underground coal mining. While the potential risks include exposure to hazardous substances and noise, the reduction of respirable dust in the workplace has been emphasized here because of the greater probability of exposure and the well-documented consequences. Since enactment of the Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, great strides have been made in reducing worker exposure to respirable dust. As production rates continue to increase, particularly in longwall sections, continued advances in dust control technology will be required. These advances will be needed to meet existing, and perhaps even more stringent future, exposure limits. Mechanization has resulted in a significant reduction in exposure to hazards while increasing productivity. Use of remotely controlled equipment is also increasing rapidly, and efforts are underway to develop completely automated mining systems. These automated systems may further reduce the risk of health impairment due to the underground working environment.