Title: Environmental concerns of blasting projects in limestone mines

Authors: Farhang Sereshki, Mohammad Ataei, Mehdi Kamali

Addresses: School of Mining, Petroleum and Geophysics, Shahrood University of Technology, University Blv., Shahrood, Iran. ' School of Mining, Petroleum and Geophysics, Shahrood University of Technology, University Blv., Shahrood, Iran. ' School of Mining, Petroleum and Geophysics, Shahrood University of Technology, University Blv., Shahrood, Iran

Abstract: A significant attention has been focused on the environmental effects of blasting activities. Since some of the limestone mines are located close to the administrative buildings and production facilities, an environmental evaluation of the blasting impact in neighbouring areas is necessary. The most important concerns about the human health and safety are flyrocks, vibrations (whether air or ground) and the blast-produced dust and fume by-products. Series of field observations are conducted in the Iranian limestone mines. The data were then analysed to evaluate the damage level and to predict the possibility of further undesirable impacts in the future.

Keywords: environmental concerns; blasting impact; flyrock; vibration; dust; fumes; air overpressure; limestone mines; mining; health and safety; Iran.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMME.2010.039042

International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering, 2010 Vol.2 No.4, pp.349 - 369

Published online: 11 Mar 2011 *

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