Prevent Worker Overexposure to Cancer-Causing Diesel Fumes in Mines

FLIR Systems (France) have unveiled the new FLIR Airtec Diesel Particulate Monitor, the first-ever, commercially-available, wearable monitor to protect miners and other at-risk workers from overexposure to diesel exhaust fumes, a known cause of lung cancer according to a June 2012 ruling by the World Health Organisation. Using Airtec, mine operators can increase miner safety and increase confidence in a healthier environment.

Currently, mines rely on a labour- and time-intensive procedure regulated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Method 5040. Sending samples to an outside lab can take days or weeks before results are delivered making it nearly impossible to implement real-time corrective changes to ventilation effectiveness or workplace procedures that improve breathing conditions.

With the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently declaring diesel fumes as a known carcinogen, FLIR’s Airtec equips mining firms with a turnkey solution for on-site monitoring of diesel particulate material (DPM) to protect workers in an array of industries, especially mining.

Real-Time Results, Improved Compliance for Less: As the only personal exposure monitor to accurately measure diesel particulate material (DPM), FLIR leverages elemental carbon measurement technology developed by the diesel particulate group at the NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. Airtec diesel particulate monitors precisely replicate results from the NIOSH Method 5040 laboratory test but with the advantage of anytime/anywhere flexibility. By replacing lab tests, Airtec can significantly decrease DPM monitoring costs while making it easier to prevent MSHA non-compliance.
With lightweight, wearable monitors and real-time alarms for high DPM levels, mine operators can dramatically transform their overexposure monitoring policies to enable a responsive, pro-active approach to reducing DPM.

Designed for harsh mining environments, Airtec diesel particulate monitors are as rugged as they are sensitive and they offer the added flexibility of installation not only on a miner’s belt but also on vehicles, mine walls or on ventilation equipment. (An available output enables device networking and ventilation on demand.) Readings are displayed on a large, bright, backlit LCD and can also be downloaded via USB connection. Plus, the Lithium-ion battery provides power for more than a full shift.