dustiness

Dustiness is the tendency of a powder to form airborne particles when it is handled, processed, or transferred. It describes how easily dry material can become dispersed into the air and reach inhalable or respirable fractions. Various material properties influence dustiness, including particle size distribution (finer powders tend to be more dispersible), particle shape and surface roughness, interparticle cohesion, moisture content and ambient humidity, electrostatic charge, density, porosity, and the material’s conditioning or aging.

In practice, dustiness is typically assessed with laboratory tests that agitate or disturb the powder and measure the amount of airborne material generated under controlled conditions. Results are often reported as a dustiness index or as emitted mass for a specified test setup. Because methods differ, dustiness values are influenced by the chosen test protocol and the target application, such as pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, or construction materials.

Dustiness has implications for safety, health, and process design. High-dustiness powders increase inhalation exposure risk and may require containment, local exhaust ventilation, humidity control, anti-static measures, or encapsulation. In many industries, controlling dustiness is a central aspect of quality control, product handling, and regulatory compliance. Dust can also pose explosion hazards when dispersed combustible powders reach sufficient concentrations in air.

Dustiness is related to other powder properties like flowability and stability but is not determined by them alone. It reflects how readily particles become airborne and is influenced by fines content, moisture, and electrostatic effects. Effective management combines material selection, processing controls, and appropriate engineering safeguards.