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Abstract
A person-wearable dust monitor that provides nearly real-time, mass-based readings of respirable dust was developed for use in underground coal mines. This personal dust monitor (PDM) combined dust sampling instrumentation with a cap lamp (and battery) into one belt-wearable unit, with the air inlet mounted on the cap lamp. However, obsolescence of belt-carried cap lamp and batteries in coal mining ensued and led end users to request that the cap lamp and battery be removed from the PDM. Removal of these components necessitated the design of a new air inlet to be worn on the miner’s lapel. The revised inlet was tested for dust collection equivalency against the original cap-mounted inlet design. Using calculated inlet respirable fractions and measured dust mass collection, the performance of the two inlets is shown to be similar. The new inlet requires a 1.02 factor for converting dust masses obtained from it to equivalent masses collected from the original inlet.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank and acknowledge Joe Archer for his conscientious efforts in performing laboratory procedures and Jon Hummer for his skill in fabricating the prototype revised inlets.
Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
