“Inhalation of excessive levels of respirable coal dust can cause coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) and overexposure to respirable silica dust can lead to silicosis,” the federal agencies noted.

“Recent surveillance indicates the number of CWP cases is rising. These occupational lung diseases can be disabling or fatal in severe cases, but they can be prevented through limiting worker exposure.”

The technical agenda will include sessions on the health consequences of overexposure;

sampling to quantify respirable dust generation; controlling respirable dust on longwall mining operations; continuous miner and roof bolter dust control; dust controls for surface mines; how to correctly determine the dust scrubber air quantity; and the proper examination of roof bolter and other dust control systems.

All three events will be held from 8.30am to 4pm, with registration beginning at 8am.

The first one will be hosted at the Holiday Inn Homewood in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 24.

A few weeks later on April 21, industry guests will gather at the Holiday Inn Evansville Conference Center in Evansville, Indiana.

The final event will be held on June 2 at the Doubletree Hotel in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The agencies held the first respirable dust conference in October 2009 at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy in West Virginia.

“Most troubling is the fact that new cases of progressive massive fibrosis, the most disabling and potentially fatal form of CWP, have been identified in some of the younger miners in our industry,” organizers said at the time, noting that the incurable conditions were preventable.

For more information or to register, visit the MSHA website or contact George Niewiadomski (MSHA) at niewiadomski.george@dol.gov or Jay Colinet (NIOSH) at jcolinet@cdc.gov.