ESTABLISH THE ASSOCIATION THAT MAY EXIST BETWEEN THE CONDITIONS OF OCCUPATIONAL INHALATORY EXPOSURE TO RESPIRATABLE PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND COPD, PNEUMOCONIOSIS AND ALTERATIONS IN CHEST RADIOGRAPHY OR SPIROMETRY.

Project: Consultancy project

Project Details

Description

SCOPE OF THE TECHNICAL STUDY.

This study was developed with the interest of investigating the association between respiratory health conditions and occupational exposure via inhalation to respirable particulate matter, respirable dust containing crystalline silica (quartz, cristobalite and tridymite) and coal dust. bituminous, in the Cerrejón workers; The data used was mainly based on secondary information sources and included workers who belonged to the Similar Exposure Groups (GES) already identified by the company.

THE COMPANY.

Cerrejón is an integrated mining and transportation complex in La Guajira, in the far north of Colombia.

It includes an open pit thermal coal mine with more than thirty years of operation that produces more than 32 million tons per year, a 150 km long railway and a direct loading seaport capable of receiving ships of up to 180,000 tons of ability.

The mine is located between the municipalities of Albania, Barrancas and Hatonuevo, in La Guajira and has resources estimated at 1,961 million tons of coal.

It has several operational pits: Patilla, Tabaco, La Puente, Oreganal, Tajo 100 and Comuneros.

The equipment and machinery used in the operation are among the largest in size and capacity of its type: more than 240 trucks of 320, 240 and 190 tons of capacity.

Cerrejón's operation integrates the production processes, mine-railway-port, seeking to guarantee greater efficiency in the entire operation and less impact on the environment.

Layman's description

In this study, no significant association was found between exposure to particulate matter and alterations in spirometry and chest x-ray results.

In this regard, previous research reports clinically important FEV1 losses during an average of 12 years of mine shaft 1; in the present study, approximately 50% of the sample has been working in the company for 9 years or less.

In addition, previous authors affirm that the role of exposure to other risk factors makes it difficult to identify the role of coal mine dust in the lung function of these miners.

2. Perret and Collaborators report that in addition to exposure to dust, whether workers smoke or have ever smoked can negatively affect the lung function of miners in a pattern similar to COPD 2; In this particular study, 93% of workers do not report cigarette consumption. Additionally, previous research indicates that category 1 radiological findings according to ILO are not expected to be found in workers whose exposure is relatively low, as is the case of this study.

Keywords

The analysis of the IR is developed from the exposure data of the workers to concentrations of particulate matter. For ease of analysis, they have been grouped according to the qualitative classification of the GES, finding that of the records analyzed in general none exceeds 50%.

The IR in general for the workers in the sample who worked at GES AA has decreased over the years, for which almost 40% of the years this index exceeds the exposure at 20%, less than 10% of the averages of the measurements are below the 10% exposure level, and the remaining are between 10% and 20% exposure around 15%.

In relation to the symptoms reported by mine workers, those classified in GES AA, in 2009 with an average exposure of less than 10%, more than 5 cases of workers with chronic cough were recorded. In 2015, with an average exposure level of around 15%, there were 5 cases of chronic cough, more than 20 cases of dyspnea, more than 6 cases of sounds in the chest and 3 workers reported a history of bronchitis.
Short titleCC-RESPIRATORY
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date6/5/173/30/18

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Main Funding Source

  • National

Location

  • Bogotá D.C.

Fingerprint

Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.