Document qa2kO79zo1pmV6oL4GK0Xg7XG
FILE NAME Colonial Sugar Refinery CSR
DATE 1960
DOC CSR038
DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Letter to Australian Secretary of Mines from South African Dept of Mines RE History & Current Knowledge of
Dust Dust Control & Asbestosis
legramadres
| ENGINEEENRGIINNGEERING
graphic Address
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NX
P.O. Box j 1132
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UNIE VAN AFRIKA
UNION OF
SOUTH AFRICA
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TelephoneTelphone
1xxx
835-8246 835-8a 246g
So ON
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DEPARTEMENT V^ N
MYNWESE
DEPARTMENT OF MINES
Staatsmyningenieur Kantoor van die
OfficeOffice of the Government
Mining
Engineer
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28SEF
28SEF
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1960
19601960
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Pa
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Goewermentskantore
Government Offices
Streets .
v Rissik- en Frederickstraat
cor Rissik and Frederick
Johannesburg
-
_
The Secretary for Mines Central Government Buildings
PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Dear Mr. Telfer
With reference to my letter of 21st May 1960
that accurate figures on
I
regret
to have
to
inform you of disability
and
the
effect
the incidence the severity
mining industry are not
of asbestosis on the asbestos
yet available
1959 As a matter of fact
one of the points whichConference
Conference
emerged from the recent
Pneumoconiosis
of asbestosis should
in Johannesburg was that the subject
be further investigated in South Africa
In this connection I might mention that the
of the Conference are to be published shortly
Proceedings
on Asbestosis
which will include the following papers
1 2 3
Some Pathological Aspects of Asbestosis in the Union of South Africa by J.C. Wagner
Clinical Aspects Northern Cape by
of Asbestosis in C.A. Sleggs and
the
The Radiological Aspects of Asbestosis by M. Hurwitz
The asbestosis in
following is a very
South Africa
brief
-
summary regarding
regarding
a
By 1919 it was clear that employment for
long periperiods ods underground in the amosite
and crocidolite mines was capable under
1939 conditions
of causing serious lung asbestosis or from
impairment either from
of that disease with
a combination
disablement
silicosis
also that serious
from asbestosis as a result of employment
in surface amosite and crocidolite
treatment plants did occur and that the
general precautionary measures were
inadequate
...
b
1948 extensive dust and medical
By
had been carried out concerning
surveys
industry
Much
the asbestos mining
dust was produced especially in
treatment plants where dust control
The medical surveys
was a problem
was being
confirmed that asbestosis
contracted
consisted dust control
As a result of these surveys
measures were introduced
Underground this of wet mining and
the
essentially in the enforcement
is the
of approved
i.e. wet
vented rockdrills as
insistence on
in the gold mines as well as
practice
of ventilation
adequate supplies
use
The experience was especially the fibres lends
that asbestos dust and itself to suppression by
water
occurs in the
The main dust problem however
of the fibre
surface
treatment
plants because the recovery
water
Crushing and screening
are
precludes the use of
whilst the dust produced
the
main dust
producing
operations
most
difficult
to
control
during bagging operations is the
Mines and Works Regulation calling for
The
for the effective prevention of dust
appliances necessary from the operations
conducted
at the fiberising few small asbestos
arisingwere enforced at all except a
plants
fiberising plants
c
By 1955 medical control was introduced
of all workers in asbestos mines and
fiberising plants
By 1957 the number
of mines other than large gold mines
so medically controlled numbered 137
of which 45 were asbestos mines
d e
By 31st March 1957 the compensation fund of the 137 mines mentioned in c
stood at about 1,700,000 1,700,000
The and
average conditions found in amosite
crocidolite
fiberising
plants
during
during
done
the systematic dust surveys
1947 to 1952
of about 200
came about
to 2 micron in
plus about 650 particles
centimetre as obtained
For chrysotile fiberising
corresponding figures came
to
10 fibres plus 450 particles
length cubic
per
centimetre
that
in
conditions recorded underground underground underground differed from
The
fiberising
plants
mainly
in respect
of
fibre
the
which was much less underground than on
csounrcfeancteration
The
---
3
The free silica content of the banded is
in which the crocidolite and amosite occur whilst that of the serpentine in which the
chrysotile
occurs is negligible
f
The impression at the Pneumoconiosis
Bureau is that whereas the average
employment of cases seen with pneumoconiosis as defined in the Act in the first stage is about
23 years for employees at large gold mines and about 25 years for employees at coal mines it is only about 10 years for employees in asbestos mines and plants
g
Another point which emerged from the Pneumoconiosis Conference is the occurrence of mesothelioma in
persons from the asbestos fields
Asbestos
The accompanying booklet entitled Mills might be of interest
I hope the assistance to you
above
information will
Dust be of
In some
Yours faithfully
ACTING GOVERNMENT MINING ENGINEER . (