At first glance you wouldn't know it, but the air around us even in a perfectly clean setting is actually filled with millions of tiny particles.
These particles include skin cells, parts of insects, insect manure, bits of food, bacteria and much more that really doesn't bear thinking about.
For us this isn't as much of a problem as it sounds - our body is cleverly designed to filter the air we breathe and ensure that we're only breathing in the healthiest and cleanest oxygen while antibodies in our system are constantly fighting off foreign invaders that could do us harm.
In some cases though these tiny particles can be a problem - and that's when we're in an industrial or scientific setting.
For tiny dust particles can ruin a paint job when spray painting a car, and they can ruin a scientific experiment when looking for a chemical reaction for instance.
In surgery this can even be lethal and in food packaging it can render food inedible.
Fortunately though there are a number of ways we can reduce this problem, here we will look at some of them.
Sticky Mats Sticky mats are a very basic system used in 'clean rooms' which can prevent us from trampling dirt and grime into a room.
These work by providing us with a sticky surface to walk on when we come into the room and this will then cause anything loose that may be on the bottom of our shoes to come off and remain stuck on the mat rather than float around in the air.
Similarly you can use sticky rollers to remove loose dirt from clothing.
Filters Air filters work like sieves, only on a much more microscopic level.
These provide a film that only air particles are small enough to fit through, meaning that it will capture the dirt and dust on their way through.
This works in a similar way to membranes in the body, but it's important to replace these filters and to clean them regularly or they can start to become dirty and actually worsen the air.
Air Cleaners Air conditioners work using filters, but some also clean the air chemically to remove bacteria.
These air cleaners are particularly important when used in surgery and other medical settings.
They may also be used to cool or heat the air or to add moisture to make it more breathable.
Vacuums A vacuum is the name for a volume of air that has a particularly low amount of particles in it or none at all - in other words extremely low pressure.
Equalization means that pressure tries to even out over any area, so if you have one vacuum next to an area of high pressure it will 'suck' the air and the other particles into that area.
Having a constant vacuum then can help to remove dirt particles along with the air.
In the case of vacuum packed this is exactly what happens, while spray painting will often take place in a pressure-controlled room.
These particles include skin cells, parts of insects, insect manure, bits of food, bacteria and much more that really doesn't bear thinking about.
For us this isn't as much of a problem as it sounds - our body is cleverly designed to filter the air we breathe and ensure that we're only breathing in the healthiest and cleanest oxygen while antibodies in our system are constantly fighting off foreign invaders that could do us harm.
In some cases though these tiny particles can be a problem - and that's when we're in an industrial or scientific setting.
For tiny dust particles can ruin a paint job when spray painting a car, and they can ruin a scientific experiment when looking for a chemical reaction for instance.
In surgery this can even be lethal and in food packaging it can render food inedible.
Fortunately though there are a number of ways we can reduce this problem, here we will look at some of them.
Sticky Mats Sticky mats are a very basic system used in 'clean rooms' which can prevent us from trampling dirt and grime into a room.
These work by providing us with a sticky surface to walk on when we come into the room and this will then cause anything loose that may be on the bottom of our shoes to come off and remain stuck on the mat rather than float around in the air.
Similarly you can use sticky rollers to remove loose dirt from clothing.
Filters Air filters work like sieves, only on a much more microscopic level.
These provide a film that only air particles are small enough to fit through, meaning that it will capture the dirt and dust on their way through.
This works in a similar way to membranes in the body, but it's important to replace these filters and to clean them regularly or they can start to become dirty and actually worsen the air.
Air Cleaners Air conditioners work using filters, but some also clean the air chemically to remove bacteria.
These air cleaners are particularly important when used in surgery and other medical settings.
They may also be used to cool or heat the air or to add moisture to make it more breathable.
Vacuums A vacuum is the name for a volume of air that has a particularly low amount of particles in it or none at all - in other words extremely low pressure.
Equalization means that pressure tries to even out over any area, so if you have one vacuum next to an area of high pressure it will 'suck' the air and the other particles into that area.
Having a constant vacuum then can help to remove dirt particles along with the air.
In the case of vacuum packed this is exactly what happens, while spray painting will often take place in a pressure-controlled room.