Mining Safety, Health Focus of $1.7M Grant

by Geri Kelly (University of Arizona News) Researchers at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health will study alternatives to diesel fuel, commonly used to power equipment in underground mines, to reduce cancer and respiratory disease in miners. -- ... With a $1.78 million grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, researchers at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health seek to determine the extent to which using alternative fuel mixtures can reduce exposure to hazardous components of diesel engine exhaust in underground mines to reduce disease in miners.

The investigators will partner with an underground mine where diesel is used to fuel all underground equipment. The study will evaluate two promising new alternative fuels – renewable diesel and a natural gas and diesel fuel mixture – and will compare emissions exposures and toxicity from vehicles using diesel, renewable diesel, and the natural gas and diesel fuel mixture.

"Diesel particulate matter is a known carcinogen and previous research has shown that miners exposed to DPM will have increased rates of cancer," said Dr. Jeff Burgess, associate dean of research and a professor at the College of Public Health. "In an attempt to reduce exposure to DPM, a number of mining companies have used alternative fuels instead of diesel; however, we don't know whether that actually improves the health of the miners or not."

In a previous study by Burgess and colleagues, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2016), findings showed that even though the use of biodiesel blends reduced the exposure of miners to diesel particulate matter, it did not prevent toxic effects in the lungs of the miners.

The new study will look at newer types of alternative fuels that may be better than existing options. The team also will work with both an industry partner and the UA San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, where the previous study was conducted. Students run the mining operation at the San Xavier lab, located 23 miles south of Tucson. READ MORE and MORE