Washington — A newly available silica dust filtration system can reduce up to 93% of respirable crystalline silica at mine sites, NIOSH claims.
Developed in a partnership between the agency and Benetech Inc., a manufacturer of safe bulk material handling solutions, the Dustinator can be retrofitted onto bins, tanks and conveyor systems to reduce airborne dust.
Exposure to respirable coal mine dust is the primary trigger of coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, a deadly condition also known as black lung. Numerous studies show that cases of black lung are on the rise.
NIOSH and Benetech created and tested three subsystems designed to work together for use on belt conveyors and at transfer points – those for passive dust control, active dust filtering and spray dust suppression.
“System testing demonstrated the effectiveness of enclosing the conveyors, crushers and transfer point, while providing active filtration via the Dustinator, to remove residual dust and lower the pressure inside the enclosure, thereby preventing the escape of dust,” NIOSH says.
