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Table 8 Standards for respirable dust for the coal mines in major countries of the world [28]

From: Concentration, sources and health effects of silica in ambient respirable dust of Jharia Coalfields Region, India

S. no.

Country

Recommended value (gravimetric)

Comment

1

Australiaa

3 mg/m3

Coal dust with ≤ 5% respirable free silica

2

Belgium

10 mg/m3

% respirable quartz + 2

 

3

Brazil

8 mg/m3

% respirable quartz + 2

 

4

Finland

2.0 mg/m3

0.2 mg/m3

0.1 mg/m3

Coal dust

Quartz (fine dust < 5 pm)

Silica: cristobalite, tridymite

5

Federal Republic of Germanyb

0.15 mg/m3

4.0 mg/m3

Quartz (including cristobalite and tridymite)

Fine dust containing quartz (1% or greater quartz by weight)

6

Italy

3.33 mg/m3

10 mg/m3

q + 3, where q = % of quartz (mass)

Coal dust with < 1% quartz

Coal dust with > 1% quartz

7

Netherlands

2.0 mg/m3c

0.075 mg/m3

Coal dust (less than 5% respirable quartz)

Silica: cristobalite, tridymite

8

Sweden

0.05 mg/m3

Silica: cristobalite, tridymite

9

UKc

3.8 mg/m3

Coal mine dust (average concentration at the coal face)

10

US (MSHA)

2.0 mg/m3

10 mg/m3

% SiO2,

10 mg/m3

% respirable quartz + 2

Half of the value for quartz

Coal dust with − 3% silica

Coal dust with > 5% silica

Silica: quartz

Silica: cristobalite, tridymite

11

Yugoslavia

4 mg/m3

0.07 × 100 mg/m3

% FCS

0.07 mg/rn3

Fine dust with < 2% free crystalline silica

Fine dust with > 2% free crystalline silica

Pure quartz (fine dust)

  1. Source: WHO [I986] (except as otherwise noted)
  2. aSource: Coal Mines Regulation Act 1982 (New South Wales); Coal Mines Regulation, Respirable Dust 1978 (Queensland)
  3. bSource: German Research Institute [1992]
  4. cSource: Jacobsen [1984]. Recommended value is based on maximum allowable concentration of 7 mg/m3 in the return-airway during the working shift