The Importance of Dust Control

To control dust or not to control dust - that is the question road commissions typically struggle with when faced with limited budgets, unpaved roads and communities concerned for the environment and their own safety. However, there are ways to control dust cost-effectively with minimum damage to surroundings.

Untreated dirt roads deteriorate faster, and their loose gravel and dust can cause a host of problems: impairing vision and inhibiting driver safety, increasing maintenance demands (and therefore costs), damaging vehicles, and negatively affecting air quality which can lead to serious health issues including chronic respiratory problems and decreased lung function.

Airborne dust can settle on crops as well, stunting their growth and impacting their life cycle. In addition, displaced dirt and dust can enter streams causing an increase in sediment that may prove harmful to aquatic plants and animals. In other words, not doing anything to control dust can leave its mark on the environment, too.

Dust control can alleviate many of these problems, but what about the legitimate concerns regarding environmental impact of the chemicals used? That’s where applying the right product in the right way can not only preserve roads, but help to protect the plants, crops, waterways, livestock, homes and people surrounding them.

Limited budgets often make raw brines tempting to use because they are perceived as “cheap.” However, they don’t last as long as products like refined calcium chloride such as LIQUIDOW™. Relative to LIQUIDOW™, raw brines typically contain much lower levels of calcium chloride, an effective dust suppressant, and they have a high level of sodium chloride (salt) which is ineffective in controlling dust. That means you have to apply raw brines more often, resulting in increased levels of sodium chloride introduced into the environment which is highly undesirable. The less sodium chloride used, the less environmental impact your dust control agent will have.

While liquid calcium chloride (like LIQUIDOW™) may have a higher cost, it has low salt content, so not only is it more effective with fewer applications, but it’s also less damaging. Sometimes paying a little more up front, can pay off in the long run with less labor, maintenance, and impact to the environment.

LIQUIDOW™ Calcium Chloride Solution is “Dust Control - Done Right.” It effectively suppresses dust and your total costs to maintain gravel roads, while also minimizing environmental impact. As a manufacturer of LIQUIDOW™ with a 100 year proven track record of dust control performance, OxyChem is happy to  answer your questions. Just dial 888-293-2336 to learn more about calcium chloride and dust control, and find out how unpaved roads can be cared for properly, with communities and the environment in mind.