TRIALS OF THE DUST HELMET IN COAL MINES.

This paper briefly describes the reduction in the risk of pneumoconiosis brought about by improved dust control standards in British coalmines, but expresses the view that dust control alone is unlikely to solve the problem completely; to do this it will be necessary to supplement dust control with personal protection. A novel type of respirator, the dust helmet, is described in which a fan and filter system are incorporated so as to supply the wearer with filtered air. Trials of the dust helmet in two large coal mines are described; despite the increased weight and bulk of the helmet it was favorably received by miners.