Regarding the issue of improving the effectiveness of using filtering half‑masks by workers in the coal industry

Occupational respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dust-induced bronchitis, and pneumoconiosis) are among the most common occupational diseases affecting coal industry workers. The primary cause of their development is prolonged exposure to fine coal and coal-rock dust, the concentration of which in the air of mine workings exceeds the permissible exposure limit. In conditions of insufficient dust removal from the mine atmosphere using collective measures, the key measure to reduce the dust load remains the use of personal protective equipment – filtering half‑masks (respirators). In practice, the effectiveness of respirators is reduced by the mismatch between their performance parameters and the actual dust conditions, as well as by a sharp increase in breathing resistance, which leads workers to discontinue using the half masks prematurely. The aim of the study is to develop recommendations for improving the effectiveness of using filtering half‑masks by workers in the coal industry. The paper presents an analysis of the factors determining occupational morbidity of dust etiology, and presents the results of studies on the initial airflow resistance and breathing resistance of samples of «Delta Plus M1300V2C» filtering half‑mask of FFP3 class after exposure to dolomite and graphite dust. It was established that, under exposure to dolomite dust, resistance increased linearly with increasing exposure time, whereas under exposure to graphite dust, it increased exponentially. In addition, the maximum permissible resistance of 700 Pa was exceeded after 3 hours of dust loading. These findings make it possible to preliminarily recommend the use of coal or coal-rock dust instead of standardized dolomite dust in laboratory tests, thereby enabling a more accurate assessment of the protective properties of filtering half masks used by coal industry workers.

Kornev A. V., Baraboshkin I. A., Olefirenko Y. S. Regarding the issue of improving the effectiveness of using filtering half‑masks by workers in the coal industry. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(11-1):152-166. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_111_0_152.

A.V. Kornev¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, e-mail: Kornev_AV@pers.spmi.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6371-9969,
I.A. Baraboshkin¹, Graduate Student, e-mail: ilandr9@mail.ru,
Y.S. Olefirenko¹, Student, e-mail: yulechkaolefirenko@gmail.com,
¹ Empress Catherine II Saint-Petersburg Mining University, 199106, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

A.V. Kornev, e-mail: Kornev_AV@pers.spmi.ru.

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