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Why I became obsessed with dust collection and air filtration...
For decades I considered a floor full of sawdust a badge of honor and a sign of an active workshop. I did not take home workshop dust collection or air filtration very seriously. I'd worked with wood for years without focusing on dust collection and I didn't notice any problems.
In 2015 I managed a NASA research project where I researched the long term effects of airborne particles on human health. It was then I began to understand that breathing dust is very similar to smoking cigarettes... the damage accumulates slowly over time and it is often too late to avoid the diseases caused by breathing dust once you start experiencing health issues. At that point clean air became an obsession and now it is likely that my workshop air is cleaner than the air you are breathing right now.
I've tested my dust collection and air filtration systems every day over a two year period using a laser particle counter and have found that the air outside my shop typically has 1000% more particles (0.5 microns and larger) than my shop air. My shop air stays 10x cleaner than the air in most homes and I'm maintaining that level with a fraction of the power required by most dust collection and air filtration systems. More to come regarding how I've accomplished this in future articles...
In 2015 I managed a NASA research project where I researched the long term effects of airborne particles on human health. It was then I began to understand that breathing dust is very similar to smoking cigarettes... the damage accumulates slowly over time and it is often too late to avoid the diseases caused by breathing dust once you start experiencing health issues. At that point clean air became an obsession and now it is likely that my workshop air is cleaner than the air you are breathing right now.
I've tested my dust collection and air filtration systems every day over a two year period using a laser particle counter and have found that the air outside my shop typically has 1000% more particles (0.5 microns and larger) than my shop air. My shop air stays 10x cleaner than the air in most homes and I'm maintaining that level with a fraction of the power required by most dust collection and air filtration systems. More to come regarding how I've accomplished this in future articles...