Aerosol concentration and particle size distributions in underground excavations of a hard coal mine

Abstract

Deposition of aerosols in the respiratory system depends inter alia on their size and the respiratory tract deposition is appreciable for nanometer-sized particles. This article presents the results of measurements of size distributions of aerosols in the range of several nanometers up to about 20 μm in the underground mine excavations of an active hard coal mine. The study included practically all particles of a respirable fraction. The results showed that a high concentration of fine and ultrafine aerosols occurs in key underground workplaces especially during mining machine operations, although their contribution to total mass concentration is usually negligible.

Keywords:

• hard coal mine
• particle size distribution
• ultrafine particles
• fine particles
• coarse particles
• statistical parameters

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Poland and Central Mining Institute, Katowice, Poland under Statutory Activity No. 15000200–173. The Central Mining Institute has agreed to the article submission for publication.