Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

Posts Tagged ‘fugitive dust’

The fugitive dust that is around us is not on the run from the law, but in some cases should be. It is true that this type of dust has been around since the dawn of time caused by wind sweeping across the barren landscape.

This type of dust is scientifically described as particular matter. This is airborne debris that can adversely affect the health of people and the environment. The most common particulate matter is smaller than 10 micron in diameter and is called PM10. The second most common is PM2.5. This is debris that is smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter.

As man has evolved, so has his impact on the surrounding environment. The process of the fine particles that are being introduced into the atmosphere is becoming more numerous as time goes on. This was first noticed in the days of the wagon trains when it was beneficial to be up front due to the dust cloud that was created.

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Pressurised Water Fogging Nozzle

Processing of bulk solids inevitably leads to generation of fugitive dust on many sites. Often, it is not possible to contain dust at all stages of the process and dust emissions become inevitable. The Environment Agency is becoming increasingly strict on dust nuisance and will serve closure notices or award punitive damages to offenders.

Using The Renby Fogging System to suppress dust can avoid this. The systems can be fitted locally to the dust source, for instance, a transfer chute or as a general system to suppress dust in a warehouse for example. Specially designed nozzles produce atomised water to droplet sizes of a few microns. Dust adheres to these droplets and falls out of the air. The system is very economical to purchase and operate.

With low power consumption, fog is an essential and cost effective tool in the battle against dust pollution. Doing nothing is not an option and can lead to company closure.

Contact Renby now to find out more about fog and other dust control measures.

The dust from a mine is significantly different from the dust you find in your home. Dust in your home primarily consists of dead skin while mine dust is almost exclusively a mineral in a fine powder form.

Most written definitions of mine dust include the following: dust from drilling, blasting, smashing or handling of rock. The majority of the dust created by one of these activities are too large to stay in the air for an extended period of time and account for about 40 percent of all dust created at a mine site. The remainder is less than 10 micrometers in size. The majority of these particles is less than 2.5 micrometers and come from the exhaust of equipment used on the mining site.

The smallest size particle is what is most hazardous to the population’s health. The larger dust particles are an eye sore and are cost a lot to clean up, but are less hazardous to one’s health.

The smaller particles do make certain health hazards that include respiratory problems due to the fact that they are in the air that is breathed in to the lungs. This can be minimized if mining personnel were to wear masks designed to filter out the dust.

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ENVIRONMENTAL inspections at industrial sites continue to find “a wide range of contraventions”, Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said in Pretoria yesterday.

“Inspections continue to detect non-compliance related to exceedances (sic) in emissions, illegal waste sites and contraventions of conditions across the range of authorisations,” Sonjica said, releasing the 2009 National Compliance and Enforcement Report, according to a statement from her office.

“While commitment to address these issues has been received in response to the inspection findings, with fairly drastic measures in some cases, enforcement action needs to be stepped up.”

Sonjica said a blitz on the cement sector identified lack of dust control – dust pollution as the major problem.

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Haul Road Dust Control is a vital element to the efficient operation of a mining business. Not just with regards to safety but as well to the workers health.  Surface mining operations make use of large off-road haul trucks considerably to transfer material on mining properties. Historical investigation, using the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) emissions factors for unpaved haul roads, has revealed that haul trucks generate the preponderance of dust emissions from surface mining sites, accounting for roughly 78%-97% of all dust emissions. This is even greater with low value haul road dust control programs.

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An environmental advocacy group known as Environment Virginia released a report this week that identifies Alexandria’s Mirant coal-fired power plant as the second dirtiest in Virginia. The report, titled "America’s Biggest Polluters," used carbon dioxide emissions data from 2007 to conduct an analysis of the plants and create a ranking system. The finding comes at a time when city officials are coordinating with Mirant to erect a 30-foot windscreen in an effort to control fugitive dust from the plant.

"It’s very disappointing, but I must say it’s not surprising," said Councilwoman Del Pepper. "I’m hopeful that with the $ 34 million we got to improve the plant will address some of the problems."

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U.S. Department of Labor
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

Respirable coal mine dust can cause lung diseases such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), emphysema, silicosis, and bronchitis—known collectively as black lung. Black lung can lead to lung impairment, permanent disability, and even death. While there is no cure for black lung, there are important and potentially life-saving measures that MSHA requires to be undertaken to reduce exposure to respirable coal mine dust and prevent disease. Even though these measures have been required for many years, new cases of black lung disease continue to occur among the nation’s coal miners, even in younger miners.

Recently, MSHA conducted a targeted enforcement initiative that focused on miners’ exposures to respirable coal mine dust at selected underground coal mines. As a result of the lessons MSHA learned during this initiative, the agency requests that underground coal mine operators conduct audits of their respirable dust monitoring and control programs and address any deficiencies.

Dust sampling programs did not adequately address proper maintenance of sampling equipment or ensure that samples are collected at the required times (either on shifts or days).

Many mining operations implement a haul road dust control program in order to decrease the level of fugitive dust in the work area. 

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BRISTOL – Zoning issues surrounding a Tupelo Street business that have been floating around for several years could finally be resolved at the next Bristol Town Council meeting. ELJ Inc. of 703 Metacom Ave. has approached the town and is looking for a zoning change for its property at 95 Tupelo St. where it runs a stone-crushing operation.

Ed Tanner, Bristol zoning official, said a zoning change from general business to manufacturing at the site will make ELJ in compliance with town regulations.

Mr. Tanner said, as of now, the business is a non-conforming use. ELJ has argued in the past that the business is grandfathered because they used the property for similar uses before zoning at the property.

“They’ve done a lot of things to their operations to try to comply with our requests and the neighbors’ complaints about noise and dust,” Mr. Tanner said.

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New rules to reduce miners’ exposure to coal dust will be proposed within a couple of weeks, according to the nation’s top mine supervisory body.

Joseph Main, the new head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Organization, said he has long thought there is “a need to lower the intensity of unhealthy dust in mines,” and he indicated that a new, wearable dust control monitor that can continuously measure miners’ contact to coal dust may be part of the new rules.

“A mechanism has been built, it has been tested, I’ve worn it myself. It works,” Main told the media in a meeting call Friday. “It’s a tool we can now utilize to help fix this dilemma of unhealthy coal mine dust that has plagued miners.”

That dust can cause deadly black lung, which has killed more than 21,000 miners from Kentucky and other coal-producing states since the mid-1980s.

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ACE Engineering in La Verne, CA won a contract worth up to $73.7 million to carry out multiple paving projects at Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases, Tonapah Test Range, and other related US Air Force sites in Nevada in order to improve on dust control.

ACE will provide labor, supplies, materials, supervision, transportation, and equipment to repair, maintain, or build asphalt or cement roads, parking lots, runways, taxiways and shoulders at the bases and range.

An environmental assessment report pdf on Nellis and the test range prepared by the US Air Force in May 2007 noted that unpaved roads on the USAF facilities contributed to air pollution in the region.

According to the Draft Environmental Assessment for the Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan at Nellis Air Force Base and the Nevada Test and Training Range, there is a concern about air pollution and dust control at the facilities:

“Exceedances in particulate matter are due to the release of dust from construction, unpaved roads, and unprotected soil surfaces….Some air pollutants are released during the explosion of ordnance….Movement of vehicles along gravel and unpaved roads also results in the release of fugitive dust in localized areas.”

Fugitive dust pdf is fine particles that can carry heavy metals and cancer-causing organic compounds into the deepest and most susceptible part of the lungs. The smaller the size of particles matter, the farther it can travel into the lungs and get trapped in the air sacs, causing an inflammatory response that increases the potential for respiratory disease and heart attack.

The work being performed by ACE should help lessen the risks from fugitive dust. The contract has a base year with the option to extend it up to 4 additional years. At this time, $100,000 has been obligated. The 99th Contracting Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base manages the contract (FA4861-09-D-A010).