Construction industry

Construction dust can severely harm the health of construction workers, and prolonged exposure can even be fatal. Dust is also one of the main sources of conflicts with nearby neighbors. Therefore, it is essential to adopt controlled engineering methods, work practice methods, and dust suppression methods to prevent and mitigate these health issues. To support workers, ABCDust offers smart and sustainable solutions for dust control and soil stabilization tailored to the construction industry.

Impact of Construction Dust

Construction dust is a general term used to describe various types of dust found on construction sites. There are three main types:

  • Silica dust, created by working with materials containing silica, such as concrete, mortar, and sandstone (also known as respirable crystalline silica).
  • Wood dust, produced when working with softwood, hardwood, and wood-based products like MDF and plywood.
  • Low-toxicity dusts, generated when working with materials containing little to no silica, such as plaster (e.g., drywall), limestone, marble, and dolomite.

Each type of dust can be harmful.

Dust is not always an obvious hazard because the particles that cause the most damage are not visible to the naked eye, and the health effects may take years to manifest.

The primary dust-related illnesses affecting construction workers include:

  • Lung cancer
  • Silicosis
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
  • Asthma
  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • Eye damage and vision loss

Tasks at risk when performed without proper controls include:

  • Cutting curbs, blocks, paving slabs, tiles, and other concrete products with a saw.
  • Chasing, scraping, or grinding concrete.
  • Prolonged drilling or coring, especially indoors.
  • Abrasive blasting under pressure.
  • Cutting and sanding wood with power tools.
  • Sanding drywall joints.
  • Dry sweeping.
  • Demolition activities.

Reducing the Impact of Construction Dust

The three key steps to controlling dust and its effects are (see also Wu et al., 2016):

  1. Risk Assessment:
    It is crucial to evaluate the risks associated with specific tasks and materials. High-energy tasks pose greater risks. High-energy tools like saws, grinders, and sandblasters can generate significant amounts of dust in a short time. Workers performing the same dusty tasks daily or working longer shifts are more severely affected. Enclosed spaces tend to accumulate more dust.

  2. Risk Control:
    Operators can control dust by using tools with proper enclosures, masks with filters, and safety goggles, along with watering, ventilation, and extraction systems. Water dampens dust clouds, and for it to be effective, sufficient quantities must be supplied throughout the operation. Pre-wetting the material is insufficient, and on-tool extraction removes dust effectively.

  3. Reviewing Controls:
    Reviewing the effectiveness of applied standards and protocols is essential. This includes conducting dust exposure checks, ensuring proper cleaning, storage, and maintenance of equipment, and monitoring worker adherence to safety measures.

Benefits of Dust Control and Soil Stabilization

For many industrial operations, sustainable and efficient dust control methods are a key concern. When it comes to suppressing dust on construction sites, water alone is ineffective.

Using water as a traditional means of dust suppression involves applying moisture to dirt roads, making the particles stick together, as reported by Alaska’s DEC. Although water is relatively cheap and readily available, and no special engineering is required to produce it, it is not a long-term solution.

Watering involves a combination of sprinklers, mists, and water cannons. While light and frequent application is better than heavy and infrequent use, the nature of water molecules causes the area to dry quickly, as noted by The Guardian.

Ultimately, water is an inefficient and short-term solution for what is often a large-scale and long-term problem.

Another significant issue with water-based dust control is wastage. Enormous amounts of water are needed to effectively suppress dust-related issues.

The good news is that better alternatives exist for dust control.

ABCDust offers smart and sustainable solutions for dust control and soil stabilization in the construction industry, capable of reducing dust emissions by up to 98%.

Using dust control and soil stabilization solutions on construction sites provides numerous benefits:

  • Reduces dust emissions by up to 98%.
  • Improves air quality.
  • Protects worker health.
  • Enhances road quality.
  • Increases productivity.

Recommended solutions from ABCDust

DMS-DS 100

DMS-DS® 100 is specially designed for soil stabilization and dust control of industrial roads, haul road and well-compacted surfaces, improving its overall strength and road materials agglutination. 

Main attributes and characteristics :  

  • Reduce dust levels up to 85-95%
  • Improve road braking distance, improving road safety
  • Improve rolling resistance, reducing fuel consumption
  • Non-toxic & non-corrosive product
  • Excellent water and UV resistance
  • Acid and alkaline waters resistance
  • Non-ionic

DMS-DS

DMS-DS® is a highly effective dust suppressant, designed for Haul Roads, and high tonnage cargo (600 TON). DMS-DS® generates a dust suppression effect which eliminates 95-98% of the PM10-2.5 issued and improves braking distances by 35-82% compared to roads moistened with water.

Main attributes and characteristics:

  • Reduce dust levels up to 95-99
  • Improve road braking distance, improving road safety
  • Improve rolling resistance, reducing fuel consumption
  • Non-toxic & non-corrosive product
  • Water and UV resistant
  • Acid and alkaline waters resistant
  • Non-ionic
  • Transparent when dried - No Stains
  • Highly concentrated

DMS-TDS

DMS-TDS ® is a highly effective non-ionic dust suppressor, designed to be applied on loading fronts and / or high frequency material transport systems on continuous belt lines. DMS-TDS® is composed of a proprietary mixture of non-ionic surfactants, nano-polymers and alcohols.
DMS-TDS® reduces water needs by up to 90%, suppressing dust by more than 85%, reducing the risk of lung diseases such as silicosis and increasing productivity by greater visibility.

Main attributes and characteristics:

  • Reduces dust, increasing visibility and productivity in processes
  • Reduce water consumption
  • Highly concentrated
  • It does not generate stains
  • Water and UV resistant
  • Resistant to acidic, alkaline and salt water
  • Nonionic, nontoxic, non corrosive

CHEM-STAB

CHEM-STAB ® is a sulphonated chemical-based (ionic) soil stabilizer, formulated with ionizing complexes associated with ion exchange elements.
CHEM-STAB ® releases the water retained by chemical absorption in the soil particles, replacing it with more stable ions, which allow the bipolarity of the soil particles to be canceled, reducing the previously occupied spaces with the adsorption water, enhanced by proper compaction and surface sealing.

Main attributes and characteristics:

  • Lower costs and construction times of roads with longer life
  • Environmentally friendly, biodegradable
  • It improves the properties of the native soil, reducing the need to transport materials and gravels
  • Increase optimal density and support value
  • Roads with less potholes and dust
  • Lower accident rate
  • Lower vehicle maintenance costs and greater passenger comfort
  • Reduce maintenance and leveling by 75%
  • Protect roads from rain and snow
  • Not toxic, flammable, dangerous or corrosive

EZZIS PRO

EZISS PRO® enhance higher compaction densities and increase soil strength, stability and resistance, together with lower permeability to rain and now. EZISS PRO® provides long-lasting effects, because it modifies the soils water retention in a definitive way, allowing it to minimize the roughness and the wear of the road surface, reducing road building and maintenance cost and reducing dust levels.

Main attributes and characteristics:

  • Improves loading capacity and structure
  • Reduce potholes and deformations, reducing road grading and maintenance frequency
  • Protects the road from rain and snow effects
  • Reduces the need for aggregates, saving up to 35% of road building costs
  • Improve the bases and subbases strength and bearing capacity
  • Reduces aggregate loss and dust
  • Lowers maintenance costs by up to 75%
  • Lower costs and construction times while increasing the road lifecycle
  • Increase passenger comfort, with fewer potholes and roughness
  • Lower accident rate & vehicle maintenance costs
  • Environmentally friendly and sustainable product, non-toxic, neither corrosive nor flammable

REDBOX

Red-Box® EPA near reference equipment for monitoring particulate matter at extreme emission points, such as crushing plants, mining roads, blasting, cement companies, etc. The equipment can measure mass and size at the same time and take gravimetric samples to control hazardous contaminants, such as silica.

BLUEBOX

ABCDust offers equipment and methodologies for environmental gravimetric samplings of total dust, respirable fraction for emission analysis, and monitoring of suspended silica. this equipment can be used for taking environmental samples of particulate material, pollutants, and gases. Also, our BlueBox® can be configured to measure total dust, respirable fraction, silica, gases, and vapors.

DMS-FOG

DMS-FOG uses different stainless nozzles depending on the application purposes, which increases their duration and reduces maintenance.  DMS-FOG uses controlled temperature technology to avoid water freezing in cold weather and assure constant dust suppression regardless of your weather conditions.

Water Cannons

DMS-Cannons are the ABCDust high-range cannon line for dust control, odor control, and fire fighting in industrial processes such as mining, landfills, construction, and forestry industry. Our cannons can be programmed and controlled via remote control or on-line, enhancing water and energy savings while increasing their performance.

Main technologies and models:

  • Flow and water droplet atomisation control
  • Automation and remote control
  • High distance range
  • Versatility and easy to use