2652 Advances in Environmental Biology, 5(9): 2652-2657, 2011 ISSN 1995-0756
This is a refereed journal and all articles are professionally screened and reviewed ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Dust Pollution And Its Effects In Construction Sites
Zaniar Tokmechi
Department of Civil Engineering, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran
Zaniar Tokmechi: Dust Pollution And Its Effects In Construction Sites
ABSTRACT
In this article, dust effects on workers, on environment and main sources of dust production in construction sites are explained and presented. The prevailing source of dust pollution in construction site is from dusty facilities. Dust pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment. Thus, dealing this problem is really considerable. It is clear from findings that the most important causes of dust production in a construction site are cement silos and dusty roads. And also, modern roads, which are normally smoothed and paved, can be a solution for dust controlling. While, simply recognizable routes without any formal construction or maintenance make dust in many construction sites.
Key words: Dust pollution, Dust causes, Dust effects.
Introduction Pollution normally is a general name for solid particles with diameters less than 500 In the 21st century, millions of people are micrometers. Particles in arise from various sources working daily in a dusty environment. They are such as soil dust lifted up by wind as an air pollution. exposed to different types of health hazards such as Dust contains small amounts of many materials fume, gases and dust, which are risky factors in which may be found in the local environment developing occupational disease. [1,4,6,7,9]. Dust is a sort of air pollution and is a general The total dust that can be produced by a project name for solid particles with diameters less than 500 is influenced by its site mobilization; therefore, the micrometers. Particles in arise from various sources use of optimized mobilization helps to keep dust such as soil dust lifted up by wind as an air pollution. down. Dust contains small amounts of many materials Large projects such as dam construction which may be found in the local environment. involve different facilities including batching plants, A place dust exist on all surfaces and even in crushing plants, etc. Moreover, controlling their the air. Different mites can be found in the local dust. facilities and choosing the best arrangement of them They excrete enzymes to digest the organic particles, for dust controlling are extremely complicated. In and excrete feces, that together become part of the addition, there is no simple solution to find an house dust, and may irritate allergies [3]. optimized plan. Thus, in this paper the dust effects Alternately, the hygiene hypothesis posits that caused by site mobilization is explained and the modern obsession with cleanliness is as much a presented. problem as house dust mites. The hygiene hypothesis argues that our lack of prior pathogenic exposure Materials and Methods may in fact encourage the development of ailments including hay fever and asthma [5]. Dust pollution: Dust is widely present in the galaxy. Ambient radiation heats dust and re-emits radiation into the A situation may be considered as dust pollution microwave band, which may distort the cosmic if it disturbs any natural process or causes human microwave background power spectrum. Dust in this harm, even if the dust does not occur on a regular regime has a complicated emission spectrum, and basis. The dust pollution is a common sort of air includes both thermal dust emission and spinning pollution which poses challenges in many areas of dust emission [2]. engineering.
Corresponding Author Zaniar Tokmechi, Department of Civil Engineering, Mahabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran, Tel: +98-918-873-1933, Fax: +98-871-3229437, E-mail: [email protected] 2653 Adv. Environ. Biol., 5(9): 2652-2657, 2011
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, prevailing source of dust pollution in construction particulate matter, or biological materials that cause sites is from facilities making dust. In construction harm or discomfort to humans or other living sites, batching plants, crushing plants, cement silos, organisms, or cause damage to the natural and material transportation dust can disturb workers environment. habits, thereby affecting the manner in which Indoor air pollution and urban air quality are workers in areas around site work. In site areas, listed as two of the world's worst pollution problems material transportation, dusty facilities, and even in the 2008 Blacksmith Institute World's Worst construction dust can cause breath disruption in Polluted Places report [11]. An air pollutant is known humans, heart disease, and in severe cases even as a substance in the air that can cause harm to mental instability. humans and the environment. Pollutants can be in the form of solid particles, liquid droplets, or gases. In Causes Of Dust Pollution In Construction Sites: addition, they may be natural or manmade [12]. About 4 percent of deaths in the United States can be Dust is a fact that you can see, taste or smell. attributed to air pollution, according to the The air around us is constantly filled with dust. Most Environmental Science Engineering Program at the of us would probably say we are surrounded by dust. Harvard School of Public Health. The dust sources in a construction site should be Sources of air pollution refer to the various determined and explained. Figure 1 shows a simple locations, activities or factors which are responsible dust distribution produced by a dust source and a for the releasing of pollutants in the atmosphere. The wind with special direction.
Fig. 1: Dust and its source performance. Most of the studies have been Cement Silos: previously attempted to evaluate the effects of cement dust exposure on the basis of radiology. Cement dust causes lung function impairment, However, collective effort describing the general chronic obstructive lung disease, restrictive lung effects of cement dust on different organ and systems disease, pneumoconiosis and carcinoma of the lungs, in humans or animals, or both has not been stomach and colon. Other studies have shown that published. Therefore, the aim of reviews are to cement dust may enter into the systemic circulation gather the potential toxic effects of cement dust and and thereby reach the essentially all the organs of to minimize the health risks in cement mill workers body and affects the different tissues including heart, by providing them with information regarding the liver, spleen, bone, muscles and hairs and ultimately hazards of cement dust. Figure 2 shows a dusty affecting their micro structure and physiological cement operation.
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Fig. 2: Dusty Cement Plant
Dusty Batching Plants: aggregate. It may have one or more divided hoppers, each containing two or more separate compartments A batching plant, also known as a concrete for different sizes of aggregates. plant, is a device that combines various dusty Dust around the batching plant is the flow of ingredients to form concrete. Some of these inputs harmful dust gases on a large scale. And, it consists include sand, aggregate (rocks, gravel, etc.) and of the bulk movement of air. Produced dust can be cement. The plant may include separate hoppers for classified by the batching plant speed, the types of it, several sizes of fine and coarse aggregates, or only the construction site region, and the way it is used. one hopper for fine aggregate and another for coarse Figure 3 shows a dusty batching plant.
Fig. 3: Dusty Batching Plant 2655 Adv. Environ. Biol., 5(9): 2652-2657, 2011
Aggregates Crushing Plants: the units can help reduce dust related health concerns, complaints and potential fines. Position the Crushing plant is usually used to crush rocks to dust controller over coring or crushing operations to final small particles in which lots of dust can be help eliminate potentially harmful dust emissions, produced. Using a dust controller during crushing near the clinkers for cooling and reducing dust and carrying process will suppress surface dust and during grinding, or wherever dust creates a nuisance. minimize fine airborne particles from crushing Figure 4 shows a dust controller which is used close operations. For example, the fine mist generated by to a crushing plant material carrying system.
Fig. 4: Dust Controller etc. Vehicles traveling on these networks may Transportation Systems Of Materials: include trucks, truck mixers, bulldozers, etc. Dusts deal with the way the vehicles are operated, and the Trucks full of sand and crushed stone aggregate procedures set for transportation. come in and deposit their material into piles. Then a The operation is dusty. Perhaps not so bad, but busy front-loader shovels the stuff in various certainly dusty enough to give us pause. When we proportions into hoppers, and conveyors take it to the observed the loader in operation, we saw clouds of mixing tower. There they are combined with cement, dust rising from the hopper when it was "charged" and the mix is deposited into a specialized truck with a load. This dust was seen to blow in the wind along with water. Materials transportation is the well clear of the plant. Figure 5 shows a dusty movement of materials from one location to another. material transportation. Modes of transport includes trucks, conveyors, rails,
Fig. 5: Dusty Material Transportation
Road Construction In Site: places, which typically has been improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a bus, trucks In the fields of civil engineering, construction is and other motorized vehicle. Modern roads are a process that consists of the building or assembling normally smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to of infrastructure. Civil engineering deals with the allow easy transporting. While, construction site design, construction and maintenance of the physical roads were simply recognizable routes without any and naturally built environment, including works formal construction or maintenance. These types of such as bridges, roads, canals, dams and buildings. roads makes dust in many construction sites (Figure A road is one of the key factors in a engineering 6). construction. A road is a route, or way between two 2656 Dust Pollution And Its Effects In Construction Sites
Fig. 6. Dusty sites road
Mathematical Model Of Dust: c. Modern roads, which are normally smoothed and paved, can be a solution for dust According to dust mathematical model controlling. classification, which is mentioned previously, the d. Using a dust controller during crushing and mathematical model (%D=dust effect coefficient) carrying process will suppress surface dust and were be assumed as equation 1. minimize fine airborne particles from crushing operations. (R r) ( ) e. Produced dust can be classified by the batching %D plant speed, the types of it, the construction site R 2 (1) region, and the way it is used.
In which R is the maximum distance between References the dust source and site plan border's points. And, r is distance between the dust source and the point which 1. Abdulmoniem, M.A.S., 2011. Effects of Auto- is considered to calculate the dust effect at it. Also, exhaust Pollution on the Micro-Morphology (θ- ) is angle differences between wind direction and Leaf Epidermal Features of Ornamental and a line between source point and target point Plants in Khartoum, Sudan. Journal of Applied (Figure 1). Sciences Research, 7(3): 270-273. Figure 2 shows a dust mathematical model. In 2. Christopher, H., 2004. Effect of Ambient Air the model the dust source is located at (1,1) and R is Pollution on Pulmonary Exacerbations and assumed to be (2)1/2. Lung Function in Cystic Fibrosis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Conclusions: Medicine, 169(7): 816–821. 3. Finkbeiner, D.P., M. Davis, M.J. Schlegel, 1999. The site mobilization frequently poses Extrapolation of Galactic Dust Emission at 100 challenges in areas of environment and workers Microns to CMBR Frequencies Using FIRAS. health and dealing with this type of problem is really Astrophysics Journal, 524(1): 867-879. important. Dust is one of the most important 4. Gaballah, K., K. Khalaf, A. Beck and J. Lopez, parameters that can be harmful for workers. 2005. Water Pollution in Relation to In this article, dust effects on workers, Agricultural Activity Impact in Egypt. Journal environment and main sources of dust production in of Applied Sciences Research, 1(1): 9-17. construction sites are explained and presented. The 5. Holmes, H., 2001. The Secret Life of Dust. findings show that: Wiley Press. a. The most important causes of dust production 6. Hussein, H., R. Amer, A. Gaballah, Y. Refaat in a construction site are cement silos and dusty and A.W., 2008. Pollution Monitoring for Lake roads. Qarun. Advances in Environmental Biology, b. Simply recognizable routes without any formal 2(2): 70-80. construction or maintenance make dust in many 7. Iman, Y. Sh., A. Ashmawy and S. Badr, 2008. construction sites. Biosorption of Cadmium and Nickel by Nile
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