Respiratory Protection: Fighting For Air

In this edition of TO BUILD, we are fortunate to be able to bring the experienced advice of construction health and safety practitioner, Dr Claire Deacon, who covers a very important subject, pertinent to the re-opening of the construction industry after lockdown.

- Dr Claire Deacon

Never has breathing been so important. Gasping for air must surely be one of the most frightening experiences. Millions of people around the world have experienced asthma, serious colds and flu, and even more serious illnesses that affect the respiratory system. And now the COVID-19 virus has taken root in our lives and our world has changed forever.

The respiratory system is made up of the nose, the throat, and lungs. The respiratory system is split up into an upper and lower respiratory tract, with the upper section including the nose, mouth and larynx. The lower respiratory tract makes up the rest and includes the lungs themselves.

Nature of particles

Each day we breathe in millions of different types of dust particles; some are dangerous, and some not. When you use that spray or deodorant, walk down a dusty road, pat your pet, enjoy your garden or print at your office, you are exposed to dust or types of particulate matter of different sizes. Depending on the health of the individual, the reaction to the type of dust will be different. Those that have underlying allergies may have an allergic response, with runny noses and itchy eyes; some may experience an asthmatic response with a tight, wheezy chest. So what is the problem with dust? It’s all about size. The smaller the particle, the further into the lungs it is likely to go. Particles smaller than 5 micrometres (those we can’t see with the naked eye) enter the lungs directly. Obviously when the particles enter the lungs it is difficult for the body to get rid of. Generally, the dust clouds we see contain large particles, and cause the sneeze/cough reaction to rid us of the dust.