Evaluation of Diffuse Reflection Infrared Spectrometry for End-of-Shift Measurement of α-quartz in Coal Dust Samples.

The inhalation of toxic substances is a major threat to the health of miners, and dust containing respirable crystalline silica (α-quartz) is of particular concern, due to the recent rise in cases of coal workers' pneumoconiosis and silicosis in some U.S. mining regions.

Quantifying silica in filter-deposited mine dusts using infrared spectra and partial least squares regression.

The feasibility of measuring airborne crystalline silica (α-quartz) in noncoal mine dusts using a direct-on-filter method of analysis is demonstrated. Respirable α-quartz was quantified by applying a partial least squares (PLS) regression to the infrared transmission spectra of mine-dust samples deposited on porous polymeric filters. This direct-on-filter method deviates from the current regulatory determination of respirable α-quartz by refraining from ashing the sampling filter and redepositing the analyte prior to quantification using either infrared spectrometry for coal mines or x-ray diffraction (XRD) from noncoal mines.