Dust Control – Soil Stabilization – Erosion Control

Most Americans are not fully aware of the road dust problem that exists across the nation. This dust is of a different makeup from what is found around in most homes. The dust that accumulates around on the furniture is made up of some dirt particles, but its main component is dead human skin cells that have fallen off the occupants of the dwelling.

For a particle to be considered dust, it must be smaller than 500 micrometers in size. This is why HEPA filters are used on vacuum cleaners and as part of the HVAC units in the homes, they trap 99.97% of all particles that are 0.03 micrometers in size.

Nuisance dust from the roads has a completely different composition and source. This dust is produced when the soil is disrupted and made airborne from wind or a passing vehicle, pollutants in the air, and the occasional volcanic dust that lingers around in the atmosphere.

There is little anyone can do about the volcanic dust problem. The source of the pollutant dust is the best place to control that problem source, and road dust can be controlled by economical means. The reason this is so important is the actual makeup of the dust that is kicked up when a vehicle passes over any road in America. In 1999, a study was conducted by Ann Miguel, PhD. and Glen Cass, PhD. of the Environmental Engineering Science Department at Caltech in Pasadena that studied the hazards from dust particles on the roads. They discovered that over 20 different sources of allergens were present on paved roads alone that exacerbated, or could actually cause, allergic reactions in people.

The Federal Highway Administration of America has reported there are over 3.9 million miles of roads across our nation of which 70% is unpaved. The dust and debris from these surfaces can contribute up to 10 million tonnes of airborne material in the form of dust each year, according to the 1997 National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report conducted by the EPA. The spreading of this airborne nuisance dust had already been studied by the US Forestry Service. They estimated that for each vehicle that traveled just one mile down an unpaved road every day for a year would place 1 tonne of said dust into the air that would cover an area round the road up to 500 feet.

Common earlier road dust control  measures involved wetting the roads down with water. This is an effective but temporary solution that is still used today. Since nuisance dust has become a greater concern, better road dust control products  have been developed. These include the use of surfactants that last longer than water, but are still just a short temporary fix. Adhesives are used in some cases to bind the dust to the surface and seal it. An example of this type of product is tree sap or lignin sulfonate. Chlorinated salts are helpful in keeping the moisture level in place to help reduce the possibility of particles becoming airborne by the sheer weight of themselves.

Road dust is more than just a nuisance to those that have allergies, and products to control it are being developed and improved to meet this need on a continuous basis.

A valuable resource for more information on this environmental topic can be found at Soil Control International and their informative blog site.