Toxic potency of quartz-containing dusts, including coal mine dusts, is usually inhibited by protective clay mineral layers on the surface of quartz particles. This investigation of 11 dusts recovered from lungs of coal miners with different silicosis grade shows that such layers persist during long-term contact with human lung tissues. On the other hand, the results suggest that an apparently ...

The correlation between the geographic occurrence of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) and low rank Pliocene lignites is striking. Comparison of mass spectra of methanol extracts from lignite samples collected in the vicinity of two endemic villages, with mass spectra of methanol extracts higher grade coals, shows the presence of many more potentially nephrotoxic compounds, and much higher total...

BACKGROUND Cigarette smoking and coal burning are the primary sources of indoor air pollution in Chinese households. However, effects of these exposures on Chinese children's respiratory health are not well characterized. METHODS Seventh grade students (N = 5051) from 22 randomly selected schools in the greater metropolitan area of Wuhan, China, completed an in-class self-administered questio...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the large-scale structure, and hence available reserves, of the Lower Cretaceous Luscar Formation near Mountain Park, in the Foothills of Alberta. Coal resource evaluation clearly requires information on the mineable tonnages, as well as the grade, of the coal strata. In open pit mining, the volume of coal economically extracted from a seam is directly ...

The Clean Air Act of 1990 initiated a tradable permit program for emissions of sulfur dioxide from coal-fired power plants. One effect of this policy was a large increase in the consumption of low-sulfur bituminous coal by coal-fired power plants. However, lowsulfur bituminous coal is also the ideal coking coal for steel production. The analysis presented here will attempt to determine how the ...

Today coal is among the most important energy sources. In order to meet the world's energy demands, low-calorie lignite with a high ash content is generally used in the large capacity coal-fired thermal power plants. As a result of coal firing, wastes such as fly ash, slag, and flue gas are also produced. Subsequently, toxic trace elements within coal are transferred to wastes such as slag, fl...

Coal used in Indian thermal power stations is of inferior grade having low heat value and high ash content due to drift origin. However, Indian power coal ash is specially known by its refractory in nature and low sulphur (below 0.5%) and alkalis (less than 1.5%) contents. Due to presence of low sulphur and alkalis and consequently having very high ash resistivity (10 – 10 O cm) it is difficult...