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AIR - Introduction

Air quality is an issue that has to be looked up with great care. Air quality can be defined as the properties and degree of purity of air to which people and natural and heritage resources are exposed (www.vista. cira.colstate.edu /improve/ Education/glossary.htm ). The quality of air gets degraded because of dust emissions from various sources. As stated in http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docstand/escbmps/escsectionb5.pdf , dusty conditions occur when a disturbed site or road surface has dried out. When there is a loss of moisture it causes the soil particles to shrink and weaken the surface. When air blows across the weakened surface it carries along with it the loose dust particles which pollute the air.
Failure to control dust emission can lead to

• Health hazard
• Traffic safety hazard
• Hazard to plants and wildlife

Temporary steps that can be initiated to prevent dust emission are mulches, vegetative covers and spray-on-adhesives
Permanent steps that can be adopted to prevent dust emission are permanent vegetation and topsoiling (http://www.abe.msstate.edu/csd/p-dm/all-chapters/chapter4/chapter4/dustcon.pdf )

As stated in http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/dustctr.pdf , advantages of dust control measures are

• Dust control reduces the surface and air transport of dust
• They are inexpensive, intrusive and promote natural growth
• They are easy to install and maintain

Dust control measures are very important in

• Arid regions where winds can carry dust to water sources and pollute them.
• Places of industrial activity which generate a lot of dust

References:
www.vista.cira.colstate.edu/improve/Education/glossary.htm, accessed March 2004

http://www.maine.gov/dep/blwq/docstand/escbmps/escsectionb5.pdf,accessed March 2004

http://www.abe.msstate.edu/csd/p-dm/all-chapters/chapter4/chapter4/dustcon.pdf, accessed March 2004

http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/dustctr.pdf, accessed March 2004

Acid Drainage       Water Source Control And Treatment        Waste Source Control and Treatment        Cyanide Treatment       Waste Disposal        Physical Stability        Topographic Reconstruction        Revegetation        Air       Prediction and Monitoring

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