title: Estimation of quantitative levels of diesel exhaust exposure and the health impact in the contemporary Australian mining industry.
abstract: To estimate quantitative levels of exposure to diesel exhaust expressed by elemental carbon (EC) in the contemporary mining industry and to describe the excess risk of lung cancer that may result from those levels.
  
  
  
  EC exposure has been monitored in Western Australian miners since 2003. Mixed-effects models were used to estimate EC levels for five surface and five underground occupation groups (as a fixed effect) and specific jobs within each group (as a random effect). Further fixed effects included sampling year and duration, and mineral mined. On the basis of published risk functions, we estimated excess lifetime risk of lung cancer mortality for several employment scenarios.
  
  
  
  Personal EC measurements (n=8614) were available for 146 different jobs at 124 mine sites. The mean estimated EC exposure level for surface occupations in 2011 was 14 µg/m3for 12 hour shifts. Levels for underground occupation groups ranged from 18 to 44 µg/m3. Underground diesel loader operators had the highest exposed specific job: 59 µg/m3. A lifetime career (45 years) as a surface worker or underground miner, experiencing exposure levels as estimated for 2011 (14 and 44 µg/m3EC), was associated with 5.5 and 38 extra lung cancer deaths per 1000 males, respectively.
  
  
  
  EC exposure levels in the contemporary Australian mining industry are still substantial, particularly for underground workers. The estimated excess numbers of lung cancer deaths associated with these exposures support the need for implementation of stringent occupational exposure limits for diesel exhaust.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Respiratory Epidemiology, School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5662-1971
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Respiratory Epidemiology, School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.|Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Klerk
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fritschi
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Respiratory Epidemiology, School of Population Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.|Department of Respiratory Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Aw Bill
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Musk
authors.affiliation: Environmental Epidemiology Division, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Roel
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4082-8163
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vermeulen
mesh_terms: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002244:Carbon / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008906:Mining; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D009790:Occupations; D012044:Regression Analysis; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D002244:Carbon