Editing Dust (section)

==Control==

===Atmospheric===
[[File:Debris netting.JPG|thumb|Tarps and netting are often used to reduce the amount of dust released from [[construction site]]s.]]
Most governmental Environmental Protection Agencies, including the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) mandate that facilities that generate fugitive dust, minimize or mitigate the production of dust in their operation. The most frequent dust control violations occur at new residential housing developments in urban areas. United States federal law requires that construction sites obtain [[planning permission]]s to conduct earth moving and clearing of areas, so that plans to control dust emissions while the work is being carried out are specified. Control measures include such simple practices as spraying construction and [[demolition]] sites with water, and preventing the tracking of dust onto adjacent roads.

Some of the issues include:{{Citation needed|reason=Some of these require support|date=September 2015}}
*Reducing dust related health risks that include [[Allergy|allergic]] reactions, [[pneumonia]] and [[asthma]]tic attacks.
*Improving [[visibility]] and [[road traffic safety]].
*Providing cleaner air, cleaner vehicles and cleaner homes and promoting better health.
*Improving [[agricultural productivity]].{{citation needed|reason=How does controlling dust improve productivity?date=October 2015|date=September 2015}}
*Reducing vehicle maintenance costs by lowering the levels of dust that clog filters, bearings and machinery.
*Reducing driver fatigue, maintenance on [[car suspension]] systems and improving [[fuel economy in automobiles]].
*Increasing [[Cumulative effects (environment)|cumulative effects]]—each new application builds on previous progress.

US federal laws require dust control on sources such as vacant lots, unpaved [[parking lot]]s, and [[dirt road]]s. Dust in such places may be suppressed by mechanical methods,{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} including paving or laying down [[gravel]], or stabilizing the surface with water, vegetable oils<ref name="usroads.com"/> or other [[Dust abatement|dust suppressants]], or by using water misters to suppress dust that is already airborne.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}

===Domestic===
[[File:Microscopic House Dust (14218567080).jpg|thumb|House dust under a microscope]]
[[File:Domesticdustonaribbon.png|thumb|Domestic dust on a ribbon]]
[[File:Reducing Dust inside Enclosed Cabs.webm|thumb|A video on reducing dust exposure in the workplace]]
Dust control is the suppression of solid particles with diameters less than 500{{nbsp}}micrometers (''i.e.'' half a millimeter). Dust poses a health risk to children,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kumar|first=Pooja Virendra|date=November 6, 2007|title=50% Bangalore kids hit by asthma|work=[[The Times of India]]|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Over_50_Bangalore_kids_hit_by_asthma/rssarticleshow/2520601.cms|access-date=May 17, 2021|quote=Dust mites in the humid atmosphere of Bangalore trigger around 60% of asthma|archive-date=November 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117032226/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Over_50_Bangalore_kids_hit_by_asthma/rssarticleshow/2520601.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> older people, and those with respiratory diseases.

House dust can become airborne easily. Care is required when removing dust to avoid causing the dust to become airborne. A [[feather duster]] tends to agitate the dust so it lands elsewhere{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}.

Certified [[HEPA]] (tested to MIL STD 282) can effectively trap 99.97% of dust at 0.3 micrometers. Not all HEPA filters can effectively stop dust; while vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters, water, or cyclones may filter more effectively than without, they may still exhaust millions of particles per cubic foot of air circulated. [[Central vacuum cleaner]]s can be effective in removing dust, especially if they are exhausted directly to the outdoors.

[[Air filter]]s differ greatly in their [[effectiveness]].  Laser particle counters are an effective way to measure filter effectiveness; medical grade instruments can test for particles as small as 0.3 micrometers. In order to test for dust in the air, there are several options available. Pre-weighed filter and matched weight filters made from [[polyvinyl chloride]] or mixed [[Cellulose#Cellulose esters and ethers|cellulose ester]] are suitable for respirable dust (less than 10 micrometers in diameter).<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 3, 2018|title=What are the Effects of Dust on the Lungs? : OSH Answers|url=https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/lungs_dust.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126175524/https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/lungs_dust.html|archive-date=January 26, 2021|access-date=May 17, 2021|website=Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety}}</ref>

===Dust resistant surfaces===
A dust resistant surface is a state of prevention against dust contamination or damage, by a design or treatment of materials and items in [[manufacturing]] or through a repair process {{citation needed|date = September 2015}}. A reduced [[tacticity]] of a synthetic layer or covering can protect surfaces and release small molecules that could have remained attached. A panel, container or enclosure with [[Hemming and seaming|seams]] may feature types of strengthened [[structural rigidity]] or [[sealant]] to vulnerable [[Edge (geometry)|edges]] and [[Join (topology)|joins]].