The Dangers of Dust

A dust storm approaches Phoenix before the MLB game between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 26, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Industrial hygienist Monona Rossol talks about the hazards of dust, and what chemicals and toxins are present in dust found in your home and in factories. A lot of dust is actually flammable—cotton dust, grain dust in silos, sawdust, and coal dust—that can be ignited just with static electricity. Rossol is President/founder of Arts, Crafts and Theater Safety, Inc. She also is the Health and Safety Director for Local 829 of the United Scenic Artists, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Her most recent book is Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia Is Making Lab Rats of Us All.