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1. Depending on the nature of the material being mined, there may also
be a risk of damage to various organs. Particularly exposed are the lungs,
with many lung diseases associated with mining. These include the
pneumoconiosis (пневмокониоз, запыление лёгких), or dust diseases of the
lung, which are caused by coal, silica, asbestos, kaolin, talc, and many other
dusts. There is also a risk of lung cancer caused by some of these materials,
and the fumes from diesel vehicles that may be used in underground mining
settings also cause a threat. In many underground mining operations there is a
risk of exposure to radioactive materials, especially in the form of radon gas
(радон), which can lead to high rates of lung cancer. Most mining-related
lung disease is entirely preventable with the use of good ventilation,
respirators when necessary, and other precautions (профилактика).
2. There are many organizations involved with overseeing (следить)
mining activities. Some of these include NIOSH (National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health) which certifies respirators for use, and
MSHA (Mining Safety and Health Administration), which directly oversees
safety practice at working mines, including oversight (контроль) of dust
sampling.
3. Traumatic (травматический) injuries (увечье; травма) of many types
are associated with mining activities. In underground mines there is the ever-
present danger of explosion, foul air (воздух с высоким содержанием
диоксида углерода), water hazards, and other difficulties related to the use
of mechanized equipment in confined (замкнутой
пространство) spaces.
Many injuries also take place in the transportation and processing of ore and
other mined products.
4. Mining activities also have a high potential for affecting the general
environment through air pollution, the fouling of bodies of water through
runoff (сток), or the contamination (загрязнение) of soil with waste products
(отходы). Excavation of materials from the Earth's crust includes those of
organic origin, such as coal and petroleum. Modern mining is costly and
complicated. First, a mineral vein that can likely produce enough of the
desired substance to justify the cost of extraction must be located. Then the
size of the vein or deposit is determined, and mining engineers decide the
best way to mine it. Most of the world's yearly mineral production is
extracted by surface mining, which includes open-pit mining, strip mining,
and quarrying. For ore bodies that lie a considerable distance below the
surface, underground mining must be considered. In both techniques,
excavating and extracting mineral substances involve costly combinations of