TABLE 1.
Coal | CWP (%)* | Carbon (%)† | Atomic C/H (Molar Ratio)† | Quartz (%)† | Bioavailable Iron (ppm)‡ |
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fe2+ | Fe3+ | |||||
PSOC-1198 (PA) | 26 | 72.44 | 1.39 | 3.50 | 15,010 | 8,588.0 |
PSOC-459 (UT) | 4 | 71.32 | 1.16 | 3.63 | 0 | 4.6 |
Definition of abbreviations: carbon to hydrogen ratio, C/H; coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, CWP; Pennsylvania, PA; Utah, UT.
Prevalence of CWP was obtained from Morgan and coworkers (4).
Data on carbon content or molar ratio of carbon/hydrogen as indicators of coal rank and quartz content in the coals are provided by the Penn State Coal Sample Bank and Database.
Levels of bioavailable iron (both Fe2+ and Fe3+) were determined spectrophotometrically by 2,2-dipyrydil-Fe2+ and deferoxamine-Fe3+ complexes at 520 nm and 430 nm, respectively. Bioavailable iron is defined as iron released in 10 mM phosphate solution, pH 4.5, which mimics the phagolysosomes of cells (7).