White paper on nitrogen dioxide limits for mine safety

Dräger has announced the release of a new white paper that addresses current nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) limits in Canada and new legislation designed to protect worker health and improve mine safety.

The paper, ‘Mine Safety: Complying with Canada’s New Lower NO₂ Limits by Implementing Appropriate Gas Detection Technology’, is an educational resource on the trends of NO₂ exposure limits, highlighting the potential benefits of using gas detection technology to continuously monitor levels of NO₂ and other toxic substances in the mining environment.

NO₂ is a highly toxic gas that is generated as a component of diesel engine emissions and as a by-product of blasting operations.

To support mine safety, there is an emerging global trend to reduce levels of human exposure to NO₂ in mining workplaces.

In Canada, many provinces are passing legislation to lower the threshold of exposure to NO₂ from 3 parts per million (ppm) to 0.2 ppm, which is 15 times lower than it was in the past.

“Dräger recognises the hazards implicit in mining,” said Kent Armstrong, global business manager, mining, Dräger.

“We also acknowledge the challenges of the emerging legislation and offer solutions that can help mines comply.”

Dräger said it has developed proven gas detection technology that enables mines to monitor NO₂, while the company’s data collection and reporting software can reduce the time and effort involved in complying with the new regulations.

Access the white paper here.