Most people see dust as just a thin layer of dirt covering their furniture. Professionals, however, know that dust is not as innocuous as it might appear. Various types of dust can be harmful to people. There is no need to worry, though. Our extraction systems can be customised to fit your requirements.
Dangerous Types of Dust
Asbestos, flour, grain, silica and wood are among the most harmful types of dust. They can lead to serious health problems, including lung cancer and asthma. Discover more about how dangerous these tiny particles are and how our dust extraction systems can help.
Asbestos
If you live, work or study in a building built before the 21st century, you will likely be exposed to asbestos. It is part of a group of six naturally occurring minerals made of heat-resistant fibres. Numerous countries have banned asbestos because its dust can cause cancer.
Flour
Workers in bakeries, flour mills and kitchens must deal with an almost invisible threat: flour. Besides causing dermatitis, flour dust is the second leading cause of occupational asthma.
Flour dust is commonly generated when transferring flour between containers or when mixing it with other ingredients to make food. It can also become airborne if the ingredient bag is damaged, when it is opened or when flour is spread to make bread. Cleaning the kitchen floor can cause flour dust to float.
Grain
People who believe dust is no big deal should look at the list of contaminants in grain dust: bacteria, endotoxins, fungal spores, insect debris and pesticide residues, among others.
Grain dust is generated during the harvesting, drying, handling, storing or manufacturing of barley, wheat, oats, maize or rye. Other products that can generate grain dust include food commodities like rice, sorghum, pulses (such as soya bean), peas and oilseeds (for example, rapeseed). For this reason, the number of agricultural workers suffering from asthma is twice that of the general population.
Silica
Silica production occurs in several industries, including in brick and tile manufacturing, construction, ceramics, foundries, manufacturing, quarries and stonemasons. The inhalation of silica dust causes silicosis, a lung disease that can lead to severe breathing problems, lung cancer and, in extreme cases, death.
There are three types of silicosis: chronic, accelerated and acute. Chronic silicosis results from long-term contact with small quantities of silica dust. Silica-accelerated silicosis occurs when there is prolonged exposure to significant amounts of silica. Acute silicosis, in turn, results from short-term exposure to substantial amounts of silica.
Patients with silicosis are more prone to other diseases, especially tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney failure and autoimmune disorders.
Wood
Woodcutters and woodworkers are four times more likely to develop asthma than the general population due to their exposure to wood dust. Large quantities of wood dust are produced in sawmills, furniture and carpentry industries. The dust inhaled settles in the airways. For this reason, nose cancer is common among workers who use instruments to saw or shape wood.
How a Dust Extraction System Can Help
In basic terms, a dust extraction system reduces the number of particles in the air, making it cleaner and healthier. It comprises ductwork to capture air, an air purifier, and an air receptacle. Fans and collectors are used to capture dust.
Several factors affect the design of the ductwork, including the tool dimensions, air prerequisites, length of required pipe, quantity of machines being serviced, and the type of dust being removed.
The purifier is a piece of equipment that removes contaminants from the air captured by the dust extraction system. To determine the quality of a filtration system, it is necessary to calculate the air-to-cloth ratio (the amount of air passing through a square foot of a filter). The relation between the air-to-cloth ratio and quality is inversely proportional. The lower the ratio, the better the quality of the the dust extraction system.
The most commonly used type of particulate air pollution control equipment is a pulse jet baghouse or pulse jet dust collector. The tool orders a diaphragm valve to release compressed air into the filter responsible for removing the accumulated particles.
The contaminants then fall into a receptacle. It can be an enclosed box, bag, rotary valve, screw conveyor or pneumatic system.
View Our Dust Extraction Products
Auto Extract Systems is the UK’s leading fume and dust extraction company. We provide dust extraction arms and filtration units for several industries.
It does not matter whether you need a portable unit or an elaborate cyclone filtration system; our team will design a customised solution for your needs. We will work relentlessly to protect your employees from most types of dust.
Our range of dust extraction arms includes:
- Fume extraction arms
- Laboratory extraction arms
- Dust extraction arms
- ATEX extraction arms
You can also order the following filtration units:
- Reverse pulse filter units
- Fine dust filter units
- Coarse dust filter units
- Open-bag filter units
- Electrostatic filter units
- Replacement filters
We also supply portable filtration units, such as mobile welding fume extractors and portable dust filters.
AES’s dust extraction systems ensure your team works in a healthy environment and that your company complies with all the relevant laws and regulations.
Discover more about our dust extraction systems.
Why Choose Auto Extract Systems?
We are the UK’s leading LEV company with over 20 years of experience offering dust extraction solutions. Our team has helped thousands of businesses create pollution-free environments and avoid costly fines and other consequences.
We are experts in all things LEV and can help your business become COSHH compliant with a tailored LEV solution. We provide comprehensive design, installation, maintenance and certification services across various industry sectors. Find out more about us here.
