A fifth and what is claimed the final version of a document that will resonate throughout the US industrial mineral industry, and may have ramifications for mining worldwide, was expected to be published in early 2011 by the USA’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
However, after inviting industry and public comment to its January 2010 publication of Asbestos Fibers and Other Elongate Mineral Particles: State of the Science and Roadmap for Research - Version 4, NIOSH might be holding off its latest version pending further review.
A technical paper session entitled “NIOSH’s 2010 revised Roadmap for Research: After NAS Review and its impact on mining elongate mineral particles” at the Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration’s (SME) Annual Meeting in Denver early March revealed just how deeply unsatisfied the mineral industry was with NIOSH’s latest offering.
In...