“Dust impacts people, who are forced to breathe unhealthy air,” says Charles Dix, engineer and co-owner, Carolina Hydro Technologies in Providence, North Carolina. “Also, dust collects in motors, and a lot of electrical cabinets are not airtight. It can have an effect on product quality and the general housekeeping quality of a plant.”Airborne contaminants occur in gaseous form or as aerosols, explains Ivan D. Ivanov, MD, PhD, team leader, occupational health, Department of Public Health and Environment, World Health Organization (WHO, www.who.int) in Geneva, Switzerland. “In scientific terminology, an aerosol is defined as a system of particles suspended in a gaseous medium, usually air, in the context of occupational hygiene,” he says. “Aerosols may exist in the form of airborne dusts, sprays, mists, smokes and fumes. In the occupational setting, all these forms may be important because they relate to a wide range of occupational diseases. Airborne dusts are of particular concern because they are well known to be associated with classical widespread occupational lung diseases, as well as with systemic intoxications such as lead poisoning, especially at higher levels of exposure.”
“Excessive dust is a potential health hazard to employees in the plant,” explains Tomm Frungillo, vice president of focus markets & Latin America sales at Camfil Air Pollution Control. “There are countless documented cases of workers who are healthier and more productive when the indoor air is clean of dust and fumes, with reductions experienced in a wide range of symptoms from headaches and nasal congestion to more serious and chronic upper respiratory problems.”
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Carolina Hydro Technologies in Providence, North Carolina information link.
Click to learn more about the World Health Organization.
Camfil Air Pollution Control website link.
