Environmental Problems In Underground Mines

Hostility is a characteristic of the environment in underground mines. Nature opposes man's efforts to remove mineral deposits, and this condition is recognized when mining is described as winning minerals from the earth. Evidence of this conflict is the action of natural forces to close excavated passageways. In many mines, this behavior of the surrounding environment is an ever-present and ever-changing problem despite much research and empirical study. Geological conditions change abruptly and may result in rock bursts, the inrush of water, or variations in rock hardness. Although aspects of these problems will become intensified as the rate of mining increases, they are not considered in this discussion. Emphasis herein will be on the changes in the atmospheric environment. Men underground work in an ever-changing, alien, ambient atmosphere. Many conditions are encountered that will affect their health and safety unless properly controlled. Potentially explosive gases are released from minerals as they are mined or enter from the surrounding earth. Some mining methods generate noxious gases. Natural processes and diesel equipment can steal life-sustaining oxygen. Airborne dust may cause lung diseases when breathed by miners in excessive amounts and by affecting visibility, introduce safety hazards. Deep mines pose heat problems that may be aggravated by high-speed mining. The deleterious effects caused by these changes, and their mitigation, are subjects of this discussion. THE UNDERGROUND ATMOSPHERE Health and safety problems from changes in the underground atmosphere have been apparent since the beginning of mining. Alleviation of these problems has been by ventilation with normal air from the earth's surface that flushes away the vitiated mine atmosphere. The objective is to provide atmospheric conditions essentially similar to those that man is accustomed to on the surface.