The Dangers of Cleaning the Air With a Chemical Dust Suppressant



Posted: Wednesday, August 05, 2009

by Mark Sierra

Deciding on the appropriate substance to be used as a dust suppressant is a lesson that has already been well documented. It is hard to forget when a whole town had to be abandoned because the wrong chemical was sprayed as a dust suppressant.

For those that it might not remember, I have two words: Times Beach. Between the years 1972 to 1973, used oil was sprayed over the vacant lots and unpaved roads of this small Missouri town as a dust suppressant. The oil was contaminated with Dioxin, a known cancer causing agent. While the result did include a reduction in dust, it also carried with it an increase in cancer among the residents. The final result was that the entire town had to be abandoned. The town was classified as a Superfund area, which has cost taxpayers in excess of $80 million dollars, not to mention the hazardous health effects of the residents.

There are over 2.5 million kilometers of unpaved roads in America today. Over 25 percent of these roads have been treated with some type of chemical dust suppressant. With the number of places increasing every year, the amount being used is also on the rise.

Today there are many types of chemicals in use to reduce the dust in the air. The most common form is water. Other chemical dust suppressants are salts, asphalt emulsions, wood chips, synthetic polymers, vegetable oils, mulches, lignin and molasses.

The reason for the dust suppressant is to change the soil's physical properties so that the fine particles stay on the ground. But this has to be done without harming the surrounding environment and its occupants.

Knowledge is our main defense when we use any chemical as a dust suppressant. Being prepared with lessons learned like in Times Beach can help prevent it from happening again.

Additional information can be found regarding how erosion control plants can be used to keep dust contained, especially in construction areas where dust is most prevalent. Check out the Dust Stop Zone for more Free information.

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