Dust Yourself Off (Literally)

The matters of mold and dust are very important to collectors. Often people ignore it in the thrill of the hunt. They look at an antique book, a 1920 bathing suit, or a creaky old barn and things that would normally alarm them, or incite a Dust Control plan in their own home just don't register. I have seen people get seriously ill.

While I have learned to avoid that, even if it meant leaving a treasure behind, the dust that cannot be avoided by me is dust in the environment. I am not speaking of a little dust on a shelf. There was a new development put in where I used to live. Instead of gradually building as funds and interest allowed, they clearcut forty five acres of land. For months, there was a coating of dust on cars that had been left in driveways within a mile of the destruction. Occasionally, they would wet the soil down, but it proved to be a poor plan for Dust Abatement, as it was a temporary fix that cost the area a substantial water bill.

I wish the homeowner's association had seen the Top-Seal that is available. The dirt roads throughout the new development could have been easily turned into something a bit more solid. Of course, in the future, the developers could have paved roads, but by the track record of the whole area, it was more likely that many back roads would be vacant for years until concurrence dictated. In the meantime, they could have sealed them. That way, the soil was already graded for the future project.

In 1987, a PM10 compliance was put into effect. There is such a thing as "dust emissions," and projects and products that are PM10 compliant control dust with a particulate matter of 10 Microns in diameter or smaller. That may not mean much to most people, but it sure means a lot to our lungs and eyes. Asthma attacks can be substantially reduced as well, if that is a trigger, when you live in an area where dust control is in effect.

The next time you have a dusty road on your hands, there is a way to eliminate the problem.