Assessment of occupational health exposure to particulate matter around opencast coal mines, India: a case study

Particulate matter concentrations in terms of occupational health, namely inhalable, thoracic, and alveolic, were measured using GRIMM aerosol spectrometer in Basundhara Grajanbahal Area, Sundergarh, India. At mining sites, average inhalable, thoracic, and alveolic particle concentrations were found to be 1.8 to 2, 1.8, and 1.2 to 1.6 times the concentrations at residential sites, respectively. Ratio of thoracic/inhalable, alveolic/inhalable, and alveolic/thoracic varied in the range 73–91%, 42–73%, and 55–80% at residential sites and 69–84%, 37–52%, and 49–63% at mining sites, respectively. From correlation analysis, significant positive correlations among particulate matter concentrations, positive correlation of particulate matter concentrations with relative humidity, and negative correlation with temperature and wind speed were obtained.