What are the Hazards of Toxic / Nuisance Dusts?

Dusts with less than 1 percent quartz are considered inert, or “nuisance dusts”.

Research has shown that many, perhaps all, dusts previously considered inert can cause serious health effects. These low-toxicity dusts have been proven to cause pneumoconiosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other non-malignant respiratory diseases.

Some dusts may also contain other harmful substances including lead, asbestos and wood. Anyone who breathes in these dusts should be aware of the damage they can cause to the lungs and airways.

The main dust-related diseases affecting construction workers are: Lung cancer, Silicosis and Asthma.  Most of these lung diseases take a long time to develop, so by the time workers are diagnosed, the damage is already done, making their health issues more difficult to treat.

Some diseases like silicosis are irreversible.

While the classic diseases of “dusty” occupations may be on the decline, they have not yet disappeared. Workers today still suffer from a variety of illnesses caused by dust inhaled in their work environments.

Suggested Industrial Vacuums for Recovery of Nuisance Dusts

PrestiVac HEPAPlus* Vacuums are specifically designed to safely vacuum toxic dusts. Equipped with a Certified Absolute HEPAPlus*filter with an efficiency of 99.995% on 0.2 micron so there is no risk of exposure or contamination for the operator or the environment. These vacuums are tested for absolute filtration. Testing Method: IEST RP-CC034.3. H14. MIL-STD 282 / A.S.T.M. - D2986-91.  MPPS method EN 1822.

PrestiVac cleanroom vacuums are specifically designed to be used in ISO 4 (Class 10) cleanroom/controlled environments for decontamination control. The stainless-steel construction is easy to clean and sterilize. The exhaust air is filtered through a ULPA filtration system with an efficiency of 99.9995% @ 0.12 microns, eliminating the risk of any contamination. Our cleanroom vacuums are grounded and ESD safe so there is no risk of any static build up. Our cleanroom vacuums are also equipped with an electromagnetic (EMI), radio frequency interference (RFI) filter to protect any electronic equipment in the cleanroom.

Which Industries are at Risk Nuisance Dusts?