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6.3 General Meaning of the Term “Dust”
The term “dust” does not have a precise meaning, nor is it defined definitively as a
premature solid and a dusty particle. When determining hazards, particle size is just
as important as the nature of the dust. In general, the most dangerous types of dust
are with very small particles that are not visible to the human eye, as is the case with
fine powders. These types of particles are small enough to be inhaled, but at the
same time they are large enough to stop in the lung tissue and not be able to exhale.
However, some substances create a very coarse dust of large particles, which can
also be dangerous. Substances can form dusts with particles of different sizes – the
fact that you can only see large dust particles does not mean that small particles are
not present.
There are several basic types of dust that are released and distributed in the
environment:
• Nanomaterials: Nanomaterials are used in many modern processes. They are
especially dangerous because they can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream
by inhalation, through the skin and lung membranes. They should be considered
hazardous to health no matter what material they are made of. Conventional protective equipment will not provide adequate protection, so you must consult your
laboratory before opening or intentionally sampling such products.
• Toxic dusts: Toxic dusts are usually formed when working with substances that
are themselves toxic (e.g. lead, mercury, chromium, etc.). Inhalation can damage
the lungs, or they can spread throughout the body by entering the bloodstream.
• Harmful dusts: Harmful dusts may occur when handling materials such as flour/
cereals, resin, tobacco, sugar, paper, dry food, cement, sawdust, coffee beans and
tea and black ink (as in toner in a photocopier/printer). These types of dust are
usually only irritating, but in concentrated form, they can be dangerous to health.
Hard (deciduous) wood dust is carcinogenic.
• Flames of the flame: Flames of the flame are prone to flare and flare and the
flame can be exposed to fire or explosion. Njihovo zapaljenje moie biti izazvano
iskrom ili otvorenim plamenom pa čak i slijeganjem na vruću površinu. When it
comes to spraying, it is easy to get stuck, it can burn and burns, or it just burns –
if you do not open the source of the spark. If there is an explosion in the back of
the head, it is possible to increase the risk of leakage, which increases the risk of
exposure.
Harmful dust can be found almost everywhere. Some of the most common are
paper dust in mail sorting offices and paper mills, cement dust on construction sites
and various types of dust in ports, in inland customs warehouses and in the entrepreneur’s business premises and rooms with photocopiers/printers. Toxic or flammable
dusts in dangerous concentrations can also be encountered at places of loading,
unloading or trans-shipment of bulk cargo (e.g. cereals, metal ores, coal, etc.).
R. Šajn et al.
6.3 General Meaning of the Term “Dust”
The term “dust” does not have a precise meaning, nor is it defined definitively as a
premature solid and a dusty particle. When determining hazards, particle size is just
as important as the nature of the dust. In general, the most dangerous types of dust
are with very small particles that are not visible to the human eye, as is the case with
fine powders. These types of particles are small enough to be inhaled, but at the
same time they are large enough to stop in the lung tissue and not be able to exhale.
However, some substances create a very coarse dust of large particles, which can
also be dangerous. Substances can form dusts with particles of different sizes – the
fact that you can only see large dust particles does not mean that small particles are
not present.
There are several basic types of dust that are released and distributed in the
environment:
• Nanomaterials: Nanomaterials are used in many modern processes. They are
especially dangerous because they can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream
by inhalation, through the skin and lung membranes. They should be considered
hazardous to health no matter what material they are made of. Conventional protective equipment will not provide adequate protection, so you must consult your
laboratory before opening or intentionally sampling such products.
• Toxic dusts: Toxic dusts are usually formed when working with substances that
are themselves toxic (e.g. lead, mercury, chromium, etc.). Inhalation can damage
the lungs, or they can spread throughout the body by entering the bloodstream.
• Harmful dusts: Harmful dusts may occur when handling materials such as flour/
cereals, resin, tobacco, sugar, paper, dry food, cement, sawdust, coffee beans and
tea and black ink (as in toner in a photocopier/printer). These types of dust are
usually only irritating, but in concentrated form, they can be dangerous to health.
Hard (deciduous) wood dust is carcinogenic.
• Flames of the flame: Flames of the flame are prone to flare and flare and the
flame can be exposed to fire or explosion. Njihovo zapaljenje moie biti izazvano
iskrom ili otvorenim plamenom pa čak i slijeganjem na vruću površinu. When it
comes to spraying, it is easy to get stuck, it can burn and burns, or it just burns –
if you do not open the source of the spark. If there is an explosion in the back of
the head, it is possible to increase the risk of leakage, which increases the risk of
exposure.
Harmful dust can be found almost everywhere. Some of the most common are
paper dust in mail sorting offices and paper mills, cement dust on construction sites
and various types of dust in ports, in inland customs warehouses and in the entrepreneur’s business premises and rooms with photocopiers/printers. Toxic or flammable
dusts in dangerous concentrations can also be encountered at places of loading,
unloading or trans-shipment of bulk cargo (e.g. cereals, metal ores, coal, etc.).
R. Šajn et al.