Table 3.
Summary of community health relevant studies of MTR-mining exposure
| Citation | Sampling Details | Site Characterization | Contaminant Levels | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aneja (2012) | Virginia Aug 2008 AIR:
|
EXPOSURE: road near residential area where heavy truck traffic from coal surface mining facilities was reported (2 sites) No control |
Maximum level PM10: 469.7 μg/m3 |
PM10 samples exceeded EPA standard (150 μg/m3) in most of the samples from one site and half the samples from the other site Metals found in the samples included antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, and selenium |
| Aneja (2016) | Virginia 2012 AIR:
|
EXPOSURE: at Campbell, near coal mines and, at Willis, close to a haul road No control |
24-hour averages CAMPBELL SITE PM10: 250.2 ± 135.0 μg/m3 WILLIS SITE PM10: 138.4 ± 62.9 μg/m3 |
PM10 samples exceeded EPA standard (150 μg/m3) Predicted PM2.5 exceeded the World Health Organization 24 hour PM2.5 standard on some days, according to the multi-variate model |
| Ettinger and McClure (1983) | West Virginia Sep 1979 AIR:
|
EXPOSURE 1: drilling, overburden removal and coal loading EXPOSURE 2: regrading of land EXPOSURE 3: truck hauling of overburden and coal No control |
Emission rates EXPOSURE 1 381.6 kg/20 hr EXPOSURE 2 496.8 kg/20 hr EXPOSURE 3 0.2 g/sec m |
More fugitive dust produced by surface mining in Appalachian coal fields compared with similar activity in the western United States |
| Hendryx (2012a) | West Virginia 2001–2009 DRINKING WATER: Public drinking water violations |
EXPOSURE 1: counties with MTR mining (161 facilities) EXPOSURE 2: counties with coal mining other than MTR mining (184 facilities) CONTROL: counties with no coal mining (137 facilities) |
Not provided |
*Increased numbers of violations in counties with MTR mining facilities (73% of overall violations) compared to those with other coal mining and control counties Failure to conduct required sampling for organic compounds accounts for 85% of the violations in the counties with MTR mining |
| Kurth (2014) | West Virginia Jun 2011-May 2012 AIR:
|
EXPOSURE: valleys surrounded by mountains where active MTR mining and other coal- mining activities (rail and truck transportation, underground mines, and coal processing facilities) were prominent (2 sites) CONTROL: no mining activity, in area where ~60% of the land is federal or state owned (1 site) |
Maximum levels
EXPOSURE SITES: † TSP: 27.7 μg/m3 PM10: 10.6 μg/m3 PM2.5: 5.2 μg/m3 CONTROL SITES: TSP: 16 μg/m3 PM10: 6.8 μg/m3 PM2.5: 5.4 μg/m3 |
*Increased particle number concentrations and calculated deposited lung dose in mining areas compared with control *Increased PM10 mass concentration at the MTR mining sites for the overall sampling period and during June and July *Increased PM2.5 mass concentration at the MTR mining site during July |
| Kurth (2015) | West Virginia Jun 2011-Dec 2012 AIR:
|
EXPOSURE: majority of coal mined by MTR mining, but allows for contribution from contour and other methods (6 sites) “INTERNAL” CONTROL: predominantly underground mining (2 sites) “EXTERNAL” CONTROL: no mining activity within 160 km, in areas where ~60% of land is federal or state owned (2 sites) |
Not provided |
Decreased sampled PM in August 2011 (period of mining inactivity) in surface mining sites normalized to an internal control compared to sampled PM in June 2011 (a period of mining activity) in surface mining sites normalized to an external control Pronounced enrichment of crustal-derived elements present in PM samples in June 2011 (a period of mining activity) compared to external control (up to 10x) Increased low-molecular-weight alkylated compounds (including PAHs) in surface mining sites compared to internal and external controls *Increased primary aluminosilicate PM at surface mining sites compared to secondary PM at internal and external controls |
| OSMRE (2002) | Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky Nov 2000-Dec 2001 WELL DRINKING WATER:
|
EXPOSURE: drinking water wells in proximity to surface mining sites (5 sites) No control |
Maximum levels TDS: 1740 mg/L TSS: 103 mg/L Sulfate: 991 mg/L Iron: 67.0 mg/L Manganese: 3.86 mg/L Aluminum: 0.07 mg/L |
*Differences in iron and TSS concentrations measured prior to and after blasting events in many monitoring wells Slight water quality changes were observed over time but were unrelated to blasting events |
| Piacitelli (1990) | Surface coal mines in the United States 1982–1986 AIR:
|
EXPOSURE: strip mining and preparation facilities by job category No control |
Not provided |
Average concentrations of Respirable coal mine dust usually below PELs; at least 10% of samples from preparation and most drilling areas exceeded PEL Very high proportion of respirable quartz silica samples in driller areas exceeded quartz PEL; highwall drill operators and helpers mostly exposed above PEL |
| Simonton (2014) | West Virginia 2006–2011 INDOOR AIR:
|
EXPOSURE: communities in Appalachia adjacent to mining operations (3 sites)††
No control |
Maximum levels
DRINKING WATER: Sulfate: 372 mg/L Sulfide: 5.5 ppm INDOOR AIR: H2S: 21 ppm |
H2S released into indoor air during domestic water use from sulfide which contaminates drinking water aquifers H2S in homes exceeded health safety standards |
PM = particulate matter; PAH = polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; TSP = total suspended particles; H2S = hydrogen sulfide; TDS = total dissolved solids; TSS = total suspended solids.
*
statistically significant result
†
Values provided by author communication
††
3 sites represent 3 communities; exact number of sampling sites in those 3 communities is unclear