The New York herald., 1922-08-06
The Tons of Dust and SCOT in the Air
Money Goes Up in Unconsumed Smoke and Public
Health 10 Affected by the Polluted Atmosphere

city noted it; officials of the Health
Board commented upon II. In streets
that could be washed FREQ Of wind
blown dust there were fewer deaths.
Tarring macadamized streets prevents
the dust from getting into the air. The
tarring Of a street facing a suburban
laboratory reduced the hying dust more
than 95 per cent. Instead OF the usual
accumulation % street dirt the catch
ment consisted mainly OF leaf fungus.
the spores of molds, the eggs OF In
sects and the pollen Of autumn flowers.
each in it's season.
Indoor dust consists mainly OF street
dust which has been brought from the
sidewalks into the dwelling on the soles
of shoes. The footmarks on an oiled
floor or strip Of carpet are the tell
tales whereby dwelling Is made dusty.
Stepping from a sidewalk upon piece
of black cloth leaves a dust print on
every square inch OF which the particles
number from several hundreds to sew
eral thousands.
A beam of sunlight passing into a
darkened room shows that the air OF
the room is full of floating dust par
ticles. The larger particles settle slow
ly; the smaller notes.. too small to be
defined even by the microscope, practi-
caly do not settle at all. Ordinarily the
bacterium content of house dust Is not
so great as that of the flying dust out Of
doors but when infectious or contagious
disease has invaded dwelling the dust
may be a source OF infection. There
seems to be no reasonable doubt that
tuberculosis. diphtheria and infantile pa
ralysis have been communicated by
house dust.
The air indoors cannot be made dust
less, but a great deal of the dust that
lnvades a household can be kept on the
floors and when 1t Is on the floor no
one is breathing II. Clean air indoors
begins with clean sidewalks; and dirty
sidewalks are the source OF the greater
proportion of indoor dust. II the side
walks are kept free from dust not much
will be tracked into the dwelling. Dust
will fiy readily from a vanished floor !;
an oiled floor or linoleum floor cover
is even more effective in keeping the air
clean.
The pollution OF the air is a matter
that is now giving medical science 10
little concern. To just what extent 1t
affects public health is not known. nor
is it's relation to the general death rate
known. That II Is a factor In each has
been fully established. Smoke and wind
blown street dust are the chief agents
of pollution and while pollution from
either source ls not wholly prcventable
ii may be controlled to a much greater
extent than at present.
Soft coal may be converted into coke
and gas at the mines; and the residue
which is not used for chemical pur-
poses can be converted into power fuel
for the generation Of electricity. When
coal is thus refined there will be no
freight charges on about twenty million
tons OF ash and slate and none on about
as much water contained in the coal.
Water and ash at s14 ton are expen-
sive luxuries.
1t is doubtful IL more ineffective meth
ods OF street cleaning could be devised
than those now very commonly en-
ployed. DR.. winslow credits the March
gale with a high degree Of efficiency
in creating street dust. but the March
gale is in the kindergarten class conf
pared with the rattan broom OF the
sweeper. The investigations OF Prudden
and Of winslow show that still air is
rarely germ laden Micro-organisms
are present in the dust blown about oy
the wind, and almost not at all in dry
air itself Smoke products are not the
only essential to city fogs the suspended
dust OF the air even In cities free from
soft coal smoke is quite as competent TO
produce city fogs as smoke laden air.
The pollution OF the air of cities is not
wholly preventable, but 1t Is to a very
great extent.