dust

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1. Fine, dry particles of matter.
2. A cloud of fine, dry particles.
3. Particles of matter regarded as the result of disintegration: fabric that had fallen to dust over the centuries.
4. 1. Earth, especially when regarded as the substance of the grave: “ashes to ashes, dust to dust” (Book of Common Prayer).
   2. The surface of the ground.
5. A debased or despised condition.
6. Something of no worth.
7. Chiefly British. Rubbish readied for disposal.
8. Confusion; agitation; commotion: won't go back in until the dust settles.

1. To remove dust from by wiping, brushing, or beating: dust the furniture.
2. To sprinkle with a powdery substance: dusted the cookies with sugar; dust crops with fertilizer.
3. To apply or strew in fine particles: dusted talcum powder on my feet.
4. Baseball. To deliver a pitch so close to (the batter) as to make the batter back away.

1. To clean by removing dust.
2. To cover itself with such particulate matter. Used of a bird.

dust off

1. To restore to use: dusted off last year's winter coat.

in the dust

1. Far behind, as in a race or competition: a marketing strategy that left our competitors in the dust.

1. To go about a task with great energy and speed.

[Middle English, from Old English dūst.]

1. In cooking, this term refers to lightly coating a food with a powdery ingredient such as flour or confectioners' sugar. 2. A term used to describe inferior, coarsely crushed tea leaves.

verb

To scatter or release in drops or small particles: besprinkle, powder, sprinkle. See strike/miss.

In addition to the idiom beginning with dust, also see bite the dust; dry as dust; in the dust; make the dust fly; shake the dust from one's feet; throw dust in someone's eyes; watch my dust; when the dust has settled.

Atmospheric dust derives mostly from deserts; the Sahara, for example, produces 4-7 million tonnes of dust each year, mostly in the form of silicates. Dust aerosols influence the nutrient dynamic and biochemical cycling of oceanic and terrestrial ecosystems, and profoundly affect climate; See aerosol, condensation nuclei.

Heavy dust such as in dust storms or volcanic fallout may contaminate animal feed sufficiently to cause sand colic in horses. Ruminants seem not to be much affected.

• d. balls — equine intestinal foreign bodies composed of plant fibers with a superficial coating of dense minerals. Because of their light weight they are often evacuated with the feces.
• d. inhalation — important risk factor in etiology of coccidioidomycosis (corral dust), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in horses (feed dust in stables).
• d. mite — see housedust mite.
• d. rhinotracheitis — dusty feed fed in a confined space such as a stable can cause chronic coughing due to rhinotracheitis in cattle.

For other uses, see Dust (disambiguation).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008)

A dust storm blankets Texas homes, in 1935.

Dust is a general name for minute solid particles with diameters less than 20 thou (500 micrometers). Particles in the atmosphere arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind, volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes, offices, and other human environments consist primarily of human skin cells, but also contain small amounts of plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, and many other materials which may be found in the local environment.^[1]

Contents 1 Domestic dust 1.1 Composition and types 1.2 Domestic dust and humans 2 Atmospheric dust 2.1 Road dust 3 Dust control 3.1 Control of domestic dust 3.2 Control of atmospheric dust 4 Dust in other contexts 4.1 Dust in outer space 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

Domestic dust

Composition and types

The precise composition of domestic dust may vary widely:

“

The quantity and composition of house dust varies greatly with seasonal and environmental factors such as the surroundings, exchange of outside air, age of the house, building materials and their condition, and the quantity of furniture and carpets, as well as their state of preservation. The composition of dust also depends upon the ventilation, and heating systems, cleaning habits, activities of the occupants or users of a room, etc. House dust consists of inorganic and organic matter, and the relative proportions of these components may vary considerably. Kindergartens dust often consists almost entirely of inorganic materials like sand, loam, and clay from sand pits. On the other hand, house dust from the homes of animal owners with worn out carpets consists nearly completely of organic material. In a study of 318 house samples, the proportion of organic matter ranged from between <5% and >95% (Butte and Walker, 1994). Fergusson, et al. (1986) reported the organic content of house dust from 11 homes in Christchurch, New Zealand, ranged from 25.7% to 56.5%. Floor dust from seven Danish offices had a mean organic fraction of 33% (Mølhave et al., 2000).[2]

”

According to the German Environmental Survey, approximately 6 mg/m²/day of house dust is formed in private households,^[3] depending primarily on the amount of time spent at home. Nearly 1000 dust particles per square centimeter settle on domestic surfaces every hour.^[1] Some dust consists of human skin. Scientists estimate that humans shed the entire outer layer of skin every day or two, at a rate of 7 million skin flakes per minute, which corresponds to a mass emission rate of about 20 mg/minute.^[4] "Dust bunnies" are little clumps of fluff that form when sufficient dust accumulates.

Three years of use without cleaning has caused this laptop heat sink to become clogged with dust, rendering the computer unusable due to possibility of overheating

Domestic dust and humans

Insects and other small fauna found in houses subtly interact with dust and may have adverse impact on the health of the regular occupants^{[citation needed]}.

Dust may worsen hay fever. Circulating outdoor air through a house by keeping doors and windows open, or at least slightly ajar, may reduce the risk of hay fever causing dust. In colder climates, occupants seal even the smallest air gaps, and eliminate outside fresh air circulating inside the house. So it is essential to manage dust and airflow.

House dust mites exist on all indoor surfaces and even suspended in the air. They feed on minute particles of organic matter, the main constituent of house dust. Dust mites flourish in the fibers of bedding, furniture, and carpets. They excrete enzymes to digest the organic particles, and excrete feces, that together become part of the house dust, and may provoke allergic reactions in humans.

Alternately, the hygiene hypothesis posits that the modern obsession with cleanliness is as much a problem as house dust mites. The hygiene hypothesis argues that our lack of prior pathogenic exposure may in fact encourage the development of ailments including hay fever and asthma^[5][6].

Atmospheric dust

Large dust storm over Libya.

Airborne dust is considered an aerosol and can have a strong local radiative forcing on the atmosphere and significant effects on climate. In addition, if enough minute particles are dispersed within the air in a given area (such as flour or coal dust), under certain circumstances can cause an explosion hazard.

Coal dust is responsible for the lung disease known as Pneumoconiosis, including black lung disease, that occurs among coal miners. The danger of coal dust resulted in environmental legislation regulating work place air quality in some jurisdictions.

Road dust

Dust kicked up by vehicles travelling on roads ^[7] may make up 33% of air pollution^[8]. Road dust consists of deposition of vehicle exhausts and industrial exhausts, tire and brake wears, dust from paved roads or potholes, and dust from construction sites.^[9] Road dust represents a significant source contributing to the generation and release of particulate matter into the atmosphere. ^[10] Control of road dust is a significant challenge in urban areas, and also in other spheres with high levels of vehicular traffic upon unsealed roads such as mines and garbage dumps. Road dust may be suppressed by mechanical methods like sweeping vehicles,^[11] with vegetable oils^[12], or with water sprayers.

Dust control

Dust control is the suppression of solid particles with diameters less than 500 micrometers. Dust in the airstream poses a serious health threat to children,^[13] older people, and those with respiratory illnesses.

Control of domestic dust

House dust can become airborne easily. Care should be exercised when removing dust to avoid causing the dust to become airborne. Some dust removing devices trap some dust, but broadcast some dust into the air, which may settle in the cleaner's lungs, and make the activity hazardous^{[citation needed]}. One way to repel dust is with an electrical charge^{[citation needed]}. Water-trap vacuums eliminate the risk of broadcasting dust by drowning the dust particles in water. Dust can't escape the container to fly back into the air.

Control of atmospheric dust

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates facilities that generate dust minimize or mitigate the production of dust in their operation. The most frequent dust control violations occur at new residential housing developments in urban areas. United States Federal law requires that construction sites obtain permits to conduct earth moving, and include plans to control dust emissions. Control measures include such simple practices as spraying construction and demolition sites with water, and preventing the tracking of dust onto adjacent roads. US federal laws require dust control on sources such as vacant lots, unpaved parking lots, and unpaved roads. Dust in such places may be suppressed by mechanical methods^{[citation needed]}, including paving or laying down gravel, or stabilizing the surface with water, vegetable oils^[12] or other dust suppressants, or by using water misters to suppress dust that is already airborne^{[citation needed]}.

Dust in other contexts

Dust Accelerates Snowmelt in the San Juan Mountains

2005 (Less dust)

2006 (More dust)

2008 (Less dust)

2009 (More dust)

Dust in outer space

Cosmic dust is widely present in space, where gas and dust clouds are primary precursors for planetary systems. The zodiacal light seen in the dark night sky, is produced by sunlight reflected from particles of dust in orbit around the Sun. The tails of comets are produced by emissions of dust and ionized gas from the body of the comet. Dust also covers solid planetary bodies, and vast dust storms occur on Mars that cover almost the entire planet. Interstellar dust is found between the stars, and high concentrations produce diffuse nebulae and reflection nebulae.

Dust is widely present in the galaxy. Ambient radiations heats dust and re-emits dust into the microwave band, which may distort the cosmic microwave background power spectrum. Dust in this regime has a complicated emission spectrum, and includes both thermal dust emission and spinning dust emission.^[14]

Dust samples returned from outer space may provide information about conditions in the early solar system. Several spacecraft have sought to gather samples of dust and other materials. Among these craft was Stardust, which flew past Comet Wild 2 in 2004, and returned a capsule of the comet's remains to Earth in January 2006. The Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft is on a mission to collect samples of dust from the surface of an asteroid.

See also

• Contamination control
• Dust explosion
• Medical geology
• Mineral dust

References

• Holmes, Hannah; (2001)The Secret Life of Dust. Wiley. ISBN 0-471-37743-0
• Steedman, Carolyn; (2002) Dust. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0719060151

1. ^ ^{a b} Kathleen Hess-Kosa, (2002), Indoor Air Quality: sampling methodologies, page 216. CRC Press.
2. ^ Lidia Morawska, Tunga Salthammer, (2003), Indoor Environment: Airborne Particles and Settled Dust, page 409. Wiley-VCH.
3. ^ George W. Ware, (2002), Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, page 4. Springer.
4. ^ Heinsohn, R., Cimbala, J., (2003) Indoor Air Quality Engineering: Environmental Health and Control of Indoor Pollutants. page 146. CRC Press.
5. ^ http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=416594
6. ^ http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1031002421.html
7. ^ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/11/991130062843.htm
8. ^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/2007/10/27/stories/2007102759600100.htm
9. ^ http://www.cleanair.hamilton.ca/events/street-sweeping-study.asp
10. ^ http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/npri/consultations/2006/Road_Dust_e.cfm
11. ^ http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=936477
12. ^ ^{a b} http://www.usroads.com/journals/rmej/9806/rm980604.htm
13. ^ "Dust mites in the humid atmosphere of Bangalore trigger around 60% of asthma" [1]
14. ^ D. P. Finkbeiner, M. Davis and D. J. Schlegel (1999). "Extrapolation of Galactic Dust Emission at 100 Microns to CMBR Frequencies Using FIRAS". Astrophys. J. 524: 867.  arΧiv:astro-ph/9905128

External links

• The Bibliography of Aeolian Research
• The German Asthma & Allergy Federation (DAAB) (German)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - støv, jordiske rester, postyr, jord
v. tr. - støve af, overdrysse, pudre, strø, støve
v. intr. - tage støvbad

idioms:

• bite the dust    bide i græsset
• cloud of dust    støvsky
• covered with dust    dækket af støv
• dust devil    hvirvelstøvstorm
• dust down    børste støvet af, give skideballe
• dust jacket    smudsomslag
• dust off    støve af, friske op
• dust someone's jacket    give nogen på frakken
• dust storm    støvstorm, sandstorm
• gather dust    samle støv
• the dust clears    støvet forsvinder
• the dust settles    stormen lægger sig

Nederlands (Dutch)
stof, stofwolk, het menselijk lichaam, poen, drugs, afstoffen, bestrooien, bepoederen, onderstoffen

Français (French)
n. - poussière, particule de poussière, grain de poussière, cendres (d'un mort), coup de chiffon (pour enlever la poussière)
v. tr. - dépoussiérer, épousseter, saupoudrer de
v. intr. - épousseter, se couvrir de poussière (pour un oiseau)

idioms:

• bite the dust    mordre la poussière
• cloud of dust    nuage de poussière
• covered with dust    poussiéreux, couvert de poussière
• dust devil    tourbillon de poussière
• dust down    épousseter, (fig) réactualiser, dépoussiérer
• dust jacket    chemise, jaquette (d'un livre), couverture (en papier)
• dust off    épousseter
• dust someone's jacket    secouer la poussière de la veste de qn
• dust storm    tempête de poussière
• gather dust    ramasser la poussière
• the dust clears    la poussière retombe
• the dust settles    la poussière retombe

Deutsch (German)
n. - Staub
v. - Staub wischen, bestäuben

idioms:

• bite the dust    (ugs.) ins Gras beißen
• cloud of dust    Staubwolke
• covered with dust    staubig, verstaubt
• dust devil    Sandhose
• dust down    abstauben, entstauben
• dust jacket    Schutzumschlag
• dust off    abstauben, entstauben
• dust someone's jacket    jdm. die Jacke abstauben
• dust storm    Staubsturm
• gather dust    Staub ansetzen, verstauben
• the dust clears    die Wogen glätten sich
• the dust settles    die Wogen glätten sich

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σκόνη, κονιορτός, τέφρα
v. - ξεσκονίζω, πασπαλίζω

idioms:

• bite the dust    τρώω χώμα, πεθαίνω
• cloud of dust    σύννεφο σκόνης
• covered with dust    μέσα στη σκόνη
• dust devil    ανεμοστρόβιλος
• dust down    ξεσκονίζω, βουρτσίζω, επιπλήττω, κατσαδιάζω
• dust jacket    κάλυμμα, ντύμα βιβλίου
• dust off    ξεσκονίζω
• dust someone's jacket    ξυλοφορτώνω κάποιον
• dust storm    ανεμοθύελλα, αμμοθύελλα
• gather dust    μαζεύω σκόνη, μένω αχρησιμοποίητος
• the dust clears    (όταν) ησυχάσουν/ξεκαθαρίσουν τα πράγματα
• the dust settles    (όταν) ησυχάσουν/ξεκαθαρίσουν τα πράγματα

Italiano (Italian)
spolverare, polvere

idioms:

• bite the dust    mordere la polvere
• cloud of dust    nuvola di polvere
• covered with dust    coperto di polvere
• dust devil    turbine di sabbia
• dust down    spolverare
• dust jacket    spolverino/a
• dust off    spolverare
• dust storm    tempesta di sabbia
• gather dust    raccogliere polvere
• the dust settles/clears    le acque si calmano

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pó (m), cinzas (f pl)
v. - empoeirar, espanar

idioms:

• bite the dust    morrer, ser vencido, parar de funcionar
• cloud of dust    nuvem (f) de poeira
• covered with dust    coberto de poeira
• dust devil    gênio (m) do sono
• dust down    sacudir a poeira
• dust jacket    capa (f) guarda-pó
• dust off    espanar o pó
• dust someone's jacket    dar uma surra em alguém
• dust storm    tempestade (f) de poeira
• gather dust    juntar poeira
• the dust settles/clears    deixar a poeira assentar

Русский (Russian)
посыпать, вытирать пыль, пыль, порошок

idioms:

• bite the dust    потерпеть поражение, умереть
• cloud of dust    облако пыли
• covered with dust    запыленный
• dust devil    пыльный вихрь
• dust down    вытереть пыль, отряхнуться
• dust jacket    суперобложка
• dust off    отряхнуть от пыли, избавиться
• dust someone's jacket    подлизываться
• dust storm    пыльная буря
• gather dust    кануть в Лету, долго не тронуть
• the dust settles/clears    жизнь возвращается в нормальное русло

Español (Spanish)
n. - polvo, motas de polvo, parte mortal del cuerpo humano, dinero, partícula, revuelta, tierra
v. tr. - quitar el polvo, limpiar el polvo, espolvorear, ensuciar
v. intr. - quitar el polvo, limpiar el polvo, ensuciarse

idioms:

• bite the dust    morder el polvo, morir, caer en desuso
• cloud of dust    nube de polvo, polvareda
• covered with dust    polvoriento, cubierto de polvo
• dust devil    tormenta de polvo
• dust down    quitar el polvo
• dust jacket    sobrecubierta de un libro
• dust off    quitar el polvo, sacudir el polvo
• dust someone's jacket    alcahuetear
• dust storm    tormenta de polvo
• gather dust    juntar polvo
• the dust clears    se aclara la atmósfera
• the dust settles    se aclara la atmósfera

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - damm, fint pulver, sopor, aska
v. - damma ner, strö, dammtorka

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
灰尘, 粉末, 尘埃, 拂去灰尘, 弄成粉末, 撒, 掸掉灰尘, 变得灰扑扑, 打扫, 喷撒农药

idioms:

• bite the dust    大败
• cloud of dust    一片尘雾
• covered with dust    落满灰尘
• dust devil    小旋风, 小尘暴, 尘卷风
• dust down    拍去...的灰尘
• dust jacket    包书纸, 书皮
• dust off    除去...的灰尘
• dust someone's jacket    殴打某人
• dust storm    尘暴
• gather dust    积满灰尘
• the dust clears    混乱结束
• the dust settles    混乱结束

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 灰塵, 粉末, 塵埃
v. tr. - 拂去灰塵, 弄成粉末, 撒
v. intr. - 撣掉灰塵, 變得灰撲撲, 打掃, 噴撒農藥

idioms:

• bite the dust    大敗
• cloud of dust    一片塵霧
• covered with dust    落滿灰塵
• dust devil    小旋風, 小塵暴, 塵卷風
• dust down    拍去...的灰塵
• dust jacket    包書紙, 書皮
• dust off    除去...的灰塵
• dust someone's jacket    毆打某人
• dust storm    塵暴
• gather dust    積滿灰塵
• the dust clears    混亂結束
• the dust settles    混亂結束

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 먼지, 분말, 유골, 낮은 신분
v. tr. - ~을 먼지를 털다, ~에 뿌리다, 오염시키다
v. intr. - 청소하다, 먼지투성이가 되다

idioms:

• dust down    예전의 정보가 현재 다시 쓰이다
• dust off    청소하다
• the dust clears    사용하다
• the dust settles    상황이 명확해지다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ほこり, 砂ぼこり, 死体, 粉末, 花粉, 土, ごみ, 屈辱, 騒ぎ, 現金
v. - ほこりを払う, 振りかける

idioms:

• covered with dust    埃まみれになった
• dust devil    塵旋風
• dust down    きびしくしかる
• dust jacket    本のカバー
• dust off    …のちりを払う, 使い始める
• dust someone's jacket    人をぶん殴る
• dust storm    砂あらし
• the dust settles/clears    騒ぎを静める

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) غبار (فعل) ينفض الغبار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אבק, עפר, כסף, מבוכה, מהומה, אשפה, דבר לא-נחוץ, חומר כלשהו בצורת אבקה, ענן-אבק, מה שנשאר מגופת מת, הגוף הארצי של אדם, מצב לא-טוב‬
v. tr. - ‮הסיר האבק, איבק, בזק‬
v. intr. - ‮הסיר אבק, איבק את הגוף, איבק צמחים‬

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