Federal mine safety officials are looking for information on economically and technologically feasible means to protect workers from exposure to respirable quartz, a material linked to lung disease among miners.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration announced it is publishing a request for information on the topic in the Federal Register on Aug. 29. The request will include room for discussion about an appropriately reduced permissible exposure limit, potential new or developing technologies and technical and educational assistance.
Quartz accounts for the "overwhelming majority" of naturally occurring crystalline silica and is present in varying amounts in nearly every type of mineral, a press release from the Department of Labor states. Miners working around the dust generated by mechanized mining and milling operations risk developing lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and various forms of pneumoconiosis, such as silicosis, coal workers' pneumoconiosis, progressive massive fibrosis and rapidly progressive pneumoconiosis.
"The Department of Labor is committed to having the information to make important decisions in order to best protect America's miners," said Acting Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella in the press release.
MSHA will collect comments for 60 days following publication of the request.
