The DWER investigates incidents where the standards are exceeded. The DWER licences all industry and activities external site that emit pollutants into the environment. Either the DWER or the Environmental Protection Agency EPA external site can impose conditions on a company that restrict the amount of dust particles that their activities can emit into the air.
Companies must monitor their emissions and routinely report the information back to DWER. Other dust control measures include planning conditions around the development of residential areas close to emission sources. Planning conditions might include:. These measures help to dissipate dust and other pollutants and together with air quality standards are highly effective for reducing dust impacts on communities. If you have a medical complaint you believe is related to dust, see your GP.
Your GP should contact the health department if your medical complaint is related to environmental pollution. Neighbourhood concerns should be raised with your local council. Most councils employ environmental health officers who can investigate local neighbourhood matters. Visit the local government directory external site.
All other pollution complaints can also be registered through the DWER reporting pollution form external site or by email to pollutionwatch der.
This publication is provided for education and information purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your healthcare professional.
But some of those codes or standards may not be very effective. Other chemicals the team found in lower concentrations include fluorinated chemicals such as PFCs in nonstick pans , fragrances, and phenols such as parabens in body lotions and BPA in plasticware.
For many of those chemicals, there is no known safe level of exposure. Only about five of the 45 chemicals the team studied have safety limits, Dodson says. For that reason, she and her team didn't estimate the risk associated with their calculated exposures.
Dodson also notes that inhaling dust particles isn't the only way you can be exposed to these chemicals. Many products you come into contact with every day—body lotion, toothpaste , medication, even the food you eat—can significantly increase your exposure. Aside from using a good vacuum, an excellent way to limit your contact with these chemicals in general is to identify products you want to avoid, she says. Silent Spring Institute has developed a free app that offers several hundred research-based tips for consumers.
You should also wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth or mop, and make sure to wash your hands frequently, especially before you eat. That's extra important for children, who tend to pick up dusty things from the ground or floor and pop them into their mouth.
I'm a former scientist, using words and an audio recorder as my new research tools to untangle the health and food issues that matter most to consumers. I live in Brooklyn, N. You can find me in the grocery aisle scrutinizing the fine print of every food item I put into my cart. Quartz dust also increases the risk of the lung disease COPD, which is more common among construction workers than others.
The fact that it is carcinogenic is also known because of studies such as that at Gustavsberg's porcelain factory, where the levels of quartz dust were ten times higher than the limit value in the s and 80s. When Pernilla Wiebert and her research colleagues investigated the incidence of cancer among former employees, it was shown that more of them than normal had contracted lung cancer, as well as urinary tract cancers. Quartz is present in the bedrock and soil in Sweden and in products such a concrete, ceramic and glass.
The problem of quartz dust is greatest in the construction industry and mining and stone industry, but is also found in industries such as agriculture and cleaning work such as sandblasting. But in general, she is not at all satisfied. Those people who were committed to this problem have subsequently been replaced and it is so much easier to focus on the risk of accidents.
Protecting yourself requires good cleaning procedures and the use of a breathing mask — and the beard has to go. There are good ways to protect yourself, but such important details are often neglected. Dust is also deceptive , as the most common type can neither be seen nor smelled. Larger particles can certainly worsen asthma and cause allergies, if they contain allergens.
But the cilia in the airways are able to quickly transport them to the throat where they are swallowed, and they are clearly noticeable as an irritation in the nose and throat. Small particles, that are found in dust such as quartz dust, reach as far down as the lungs' capillaries and alveoli, where they remain for a longer period or are encapsulated permanently. It is uncertain to what extent small particles penetrate even further, past the lungs, and where they end up.
In order to answer this question, Pernilla Wiebert, as part of the work on her thesis, is using an apparatus that generates a cloud of carbon particles, every one of which is labelled with a radioactive isotope that makes it traceable.
The radioactive carbon cloud is then inhaled by test subjects. That was the case with the carbon cloud specifically. But other researchers have found inhaled nanoparticles in organs such as the liver, kidneys and brain. Even if the particles normally remain in the lungs, this does not mean that they are otherwise harmless to the body.
Inflammation in the lungs can lead to inflammation in the cardiovascular system and myocardial infarction; something that is more common within occupations with a high level of exposure to particles. The risk is particularly high within occupations with a high level of exposure to small particles from combustion, such as engine exhaust.
Pernilla Wiebert is currently working on a research project that compares the incidence of myocardial infarction in various occupations with data concerning exposure to particles — the goal is to gain new knowledge about which types of particles are most hazardous.
Dust with a biological origin may contain, for example, animal proteins, bacteria and fungal spores, and in high doses can cause influenza-like symptoms known as ODTS organic dust toxic syndrome. Long-term inhalation can cause inflammatory changes in the lungs that researchers call extrinsic allergic alveolitis, but in specific occupations may go by names such as farmer's lung, bird fancier's lung and cheese washer's lung.
The dust that is formed in pigsties is particularly nasty. Lena Palmberg, researcher at the Institute for Environmental Medicine, has shown that swineherds have an impaired natural immune response and a chronic inflammation in the respiratory tract. Test subjects who try out the work temporarily also quickly get sharply increased levels of white blood cells and the signs of respiratory tract inflammation.
The research indicates that it is bacteria or bacterial components from the pigs' excrement that is having a detrimental impact on the lungs of swineherds. Those who spend a lot of time indoors, like young children and the elderly, are at particular risk. In addition to your body reacting to the dog hair, mold spores, and pollen found in dust, you might also be allergic to microscopic creatures called dust mites.
These critters dine on the skin flakes we leave behind and can often be found in carpets, on our pillows, and anywhere else dust gathers. After all, the more often you dust, the less buildup your home will see. The first step is to invest in a good vacuum. You should vacuum carpets daily if you can, while also making sure to clean and mop other flooring at least once a week. In addition to floors, you should vacuum furniture and upholstery consistently, as these can be sneaky spots where dust can get stuck.
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