What are the hazards of dust to human body

Many cities are now facing various types of pollution, including air pollution, heavy industrial pollution, etc. The most common pollution is dust. Dust pollution can be seen everywhere, whether you are out or at home, you cannot avoid the invasion of dust. In fact, dust can cause great harm to our body and lead to various diseases. Let’s take a closer look at the harm of dust to the human body.

1. pneumoconiosis

Pneumoconiosis refers to a disease characterized by lung tissue fibrosis caused by inhalation of industrial dust during the production process. Different degrees of harm are caused by the different quality and quantity of inhaled dust. There are many types of pneumoconiosis, 13 of which are listed as occupational diseases, namely: silicosis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, graphite pneumoconiosis, carbon black pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, talc pneumoconiosis, cement pneumoconiosis, mica pneumoconiosis, potters' pneumoconiosis, aluminum pneumoconiosis, electric welder's mixed pneumoconiosis, and foundry worker's pneumoconiosis.

2. Dust deposition

After inhalation of some metal dusts (iron, barium, tin, etc.), they may react as foreign bodies in the lung tissue and cause mild fibrosis, but they are less harmful to the human body. After leaving the dusty workplace, the lesions may gradually subside.

3. Pulmonary diseases caused by organic dust

Different organic dusts have different biological effects, such as causing bronchial asthma, byssinosis, occupational allergic pneumonia, mixed pneumoconiosis, etc.

4. Respiratory system tumors

The local effect of dust refers to the action of dust on the respiratory mucosa causing atrophic lesions; in addition, it can also cause pharyngitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, etc.; the action on the skin can cause acne, folliculitis, pyoderma, etc.; metal and abrasive dust can cause corneal damage, leading to corneal insensitivity and corneal opacity; asphalt smoke can cause photosensitive dermatitis under sunlight. The poisoning effect of dust refers to the poisoning caused by inhaling toxic dusts such as lead, arsenic, and manganese.

Different types of dust act on different parts of the human body and cause different harm to people. When the skin is covered with dust, it can cause dermatitis, especially in the summer when there is a lot of sweating. Dust can easily block the pores and cause folliculitis. Alkaline dust such as cement can cause dry and wrinkled skin in winter. When inhaling dust, healthy people have defense functions that can expel more than 90% of the inhaled dust from the body. For example, nasal hair and the inner walls of the respiratory tract can block and stick to the inhaled dust, allowing it to be expelled with mucus and sputum. If there are no dust prevention measures during the production process, long-term and large-scale inhalation of dust can irritate the upper respiratory tract mucosa, causing rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis and bronchitis. Inhalation of grain dust can cause bronchial asthma in some people. When dust enters the lungs, it can cause lung diseases. Long-term and excessive inhalation of certain inorganic dusts may cause pneumoconiosis. Long-term inhalation of large amounts of dust containing a high percentage of silica can cause silicosis. Silicosis is the most serious form of pneumoconiosis. It forms scar-like fibrotic lesions in the lungs.

From the above introduction, it is not difficult to see the serious harm that dust can cause to the human body. Although it is difficult to avoid in life, we should still be on guard. It is best to wear a mask in dusty places to reduce some damage. Moreover, friends who are in special jobs should strengthen their awareness of this aspect to avoid causing great harm to their bodies.