What Is Dust? Is It Mostly Dead Skin?

(Photo : Wikimedia Commons/Anastasia Shuraeva)
What Is Dust? Is It Mostly Dead Skin?

Dust is everywhere and depending on where you live, some areas are prone to it. There's a myth that dust is made of human cells, so read on to know if that's true.

What Is Dust?

Dust is a collection of tiny material particles. Dust is visible and visibly heavy enough to be transported by the wind. Pollen, bacteria, smoke, soot, salt crystals from the ocean, and tiny pieces of rock or earth, including sand, can all be found in it. Additionally, dust may contain minute pieces of hair, pollutants, and both human and animal skin cells.

According to the International Organization for Standardization, dust is made up of particles no larger than 75 micrometers or about the breadth of a human hair. However, according to other sources, dust particles can have a diameter of up to 2,000 micrometers or less.

The most important characteristic of dust, despite the disparity in standardization, is its settling velocity, according to science educator Derek Muller. How long a particle can remain in the air is determined by its settling velocity. This is the most effective approach to distinguish what constitutes fine filth from what does not since dust varies so much in shape, size, and density.

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Is Dust Mostly Dead Skin?

By any of the aforementioned standards, dead human skin cells qualify as dust. In addition, given that an individual with an average skin surface area sheds 1,000 skin cells per hour, a significant portion of the dust in your home and many other places likely contains a significant amount of dead skin, Muller said.

While Derek Hales agreed that dust includes dead skin, he argued that the majority portion of the dust is old skin follicles. He noted that dust comes from two places - indoors and outdoors.

Items from inside your house make up indoor dust. A few examples of the substances that make up indoor dust are food particles, animal hair, pet dander, textile and paper fibers, human skin cells, human hair, and pet hair.

On the other hand, dust formed outside comes from external sources. Outdoor dust may contain soil fragments, pollen, car debris (such as tire or exhaust particles), insect parts, or even insect follicles.

Dust particles also enter the home each time a door is opened. Additionally, merely walking inside can easily track in dirt, debris, and other specks from shoes.

Stephanie Pappas also doesn't agree that dead skin contributes much to house dust. According to her, it is probably inaccurate for most homes that 70% or 80% of household dust is made up of human skin. A 2009 study of house dust in the U.S. Midwest claimed that 40% of the dust's constituent parts were carried in from outside, while 60% came from interior sources. Shed skin was included in the indoor 60%, along with organic fibers and architectural elements.

One should also note that not all dead skin flakes peel off into the flooring of your home; some go down the toilet or shower drain, while others are caught in garments and wind up being washed in the washer.