WHAT IS DUST? AND HOW TO ELIMINATE DUST IN THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT 

Dust is everywhere – in our homes, workplaces, and the surrounding environment. One can be annoyed with the dust piled on the surface of the bookshelf but unfortunately there is a darker side; the dust can cause allergies, health problems, and expensive issues in production processes and equipment. The fact is that dust is harmful, but we do not have to suffer from it. Let us ease your mind and share clean air solutions to get those small particles out of the system.

What is dust? 

Simply, dust consists of small particles of dry solid matter. It begins as airborne particles but eventually lands on horizontal surfaces. Dust can be produced anywhere but is categorized into three main categories: environmental, household, and industrial dust. 

At home, we give our house a good and thorough clean-up (without chemical overload is recommended) to get rid of most of the visible dust; switching on an air purifier will handle also those invisible particles, called PM1 (Particulate Matter 1).

Household and environmental dust can trigger symptoms of asthma and allergies, but there are ways to prevent or ease the symptoms. But what about manufacturing sites and processes that produce heavy loads of dust? 

Production causes industrial dust

Industrial dust, also known as process dust, is generated during the manufacturing or production process. For example, cutting, drilling, grinding, or sawing generates dust. It can also break out from materials, chemicals, or ingredients used in the production process, such as flour, sugar, and pharmaceutical products. Processes such as welding and plasma cutting also produce very small particles, fumes, and smoke. Dust in general, including combustible dust, must be properly filtered and enclosed to ensure employee health and safety. Industrial dust may contain metals and chemicals that can be harmful if inhaled or in contact with the skin. Besides, some types of process dust can be flammable, which can trigger explosions in the workplace and fire if not handled properly.

Protect people, processes and the environment 

If your production processes generate hazardous dust, one of your priorities is to ensure good air quality. Dust, especially airborne dust particles, must be collected and enclosed to protect employee safety and comply with regulatory requirements, but also to protect these processes to ensure a non-disrupted business. There are key elements that need to be taken into consideration when removing the dust, cleanliness in industrial manufacturing spaces along with offices, conference areas, control rooms, server rooms and similar spaces in these facilities must be protected against dust infiltration from nearby manufacturing processes or particulate contaminants in the outdoor air. Specific rules and regulations ensure the safety of employees working in production processes and their working environment. It is possible to balance between ensuring a high indoor air quality for employees while saving energy and maintaining profitability in a production environment. Dust and fume collectors, used for pollution control or product recovery, can impact all these areas. 
Good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) needs work and care 

Dust handling protects sensitive processes, prevents expensive manufacturing shutdowns, and avoids long and unexpected sick leaves of personnel. High-efficiency dust collectors are best known for maintaining cleanliness in industrial manufacturing spaces. Industrial dust collector handles toxic and combustible dusts and fumes, including fine, fibrous and heavy dust loads. They also reduce worker discomfort from allergens found in processes and protect valuable equipment from contamination. 

Camfil’s dust collectors help prevent safety risks and health problems caused by dust, fumes, and smoke, as well as explosions and fires. The solutions also enable companies to comply with governmental air quality regulations both inside and outside the factories. Camfil is committed to helping customers protect people, equipment, processes, and the environment. We have aligned our actions to United Nations Goals, the number 8 goal, “Decent work & economic growth” is the key as for us people matter first. 

By choosing the right filtration system you can ensure the safety of your workers and operational efficiency that will save you time, money, and energy. 
Created 30 June 2020