Electrospun nanofibers for personal protection in mines

[Display omitted] •The personal protective strategy can effectively prevent respirable dust.•The dust concentration standard of main coal producing countries is summarized.•The international standards for labor protection masks are summarized.•Nanofiber filter is an excellent PPE, especially the special environment of coal mine. Dust in mine poses a huge threat to miner’s health. Through a comprehensive review of the research of different types of coal dust, we summarize the highly efficient dust control/protection methods in this paper, including spray dust fall, chemical dust suppression, coal seam water injection, dust collector removal, and individual protection. Furthermore, we discussed the challenges in the above methods, highlighting that personal protection strategy can effectively prevent the respirable dust, thereby reducing the probability of pneumoconiosis. Via a critical study of various current personal protective materials, we arrived that nanomaterials, especially the electrospun nanofibers, are potential candidates for personal protection in coal mines due to the advantages of simple technology, high efficiency, low resistance, controllable structure, the potential for reusability, and long life.