Controlling Fugitive Dust
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified airborne particulates (fugitive dust), as one
of six principal air pollutants. Furthermore, EPA estimates (Fig. 1) show that up to 40% of fugitive
dust may originate from unpaved roads. Using the state of Pennsylvania as an example of the impact
that unpaved roads have on the environment, consider that Pennsylvania has in excess of 21,000
miles of unpaved roads, not including private haul roads, farm lanes, etc. Discussions with the
Department of Environmental Protection Air Quality personnel, the Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania DOT, the State Conservation Commission (SCC)
and the Bureau of Mining, suggest that identifying effective, affordable techniques for monitoring and
controlling fugitive dust emissions is becoming an increasingly important need for these agencies.
These same fine particulate problems apply in every other state in America. The situation has given
rise to "Dust Police" in some states and such monitoring and regulatory agencies will eventually be in
place in every state in the country.
There are a number of possible control strategies that can be used to help minimize dust emissions
from unpaved roads. These include the use of environmentally friendly maintenance techniques, the
use of properly designed aggregate mixtures and the use of water-based polymers as dust and
sediment control.
There are three outstanding problems:
1) Lack of funding is always a problem so only a very small fraction of the unpaved roads in a
given area get treated.
2) The use of dust suppressants is often beyond the financial resources of small rural towns.
3) The environmental effect of many of the alternative treatments being used as dust
suppressants are harmful or, at best, uncertain. Examples of environmentally questionable
treatments are cutback oils (petroleum based) and chlorides (salts). Examples of uncertain
treatments are vegetable oils. The water based polymers offer the combination of
environmentally friendly and effective treatments.
To put this in better perspective, the total particulate emissions from stationary sources in 1999
amounted to only 1.1 million tons nationally. These stationary particulate sources like boilers, kilns,
industrial processes, etc. are the kind that are principally and classically addressed by the DEP's
Bureau of Air Quality.
These stationary sources represent roughly 4% of the 26 million tons per year of total
particulates. Therefore, unpaved road particulate emissions are estimated to be ten times more than
emissions from these classic stationary sources of particulates.
Figure 1. Fugitive particulate matter emissions originate from many sources (for more information see
www.epa.gov/air/data/netemis.html ). The EPA estimates total fugitive dust emissions at more than
25 million tons per year. Source: EPA, National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report, 1997.
In summary, fugitive dust emissions from unpaved roads are clearly an important issue. Education of
towns and other entities on effective control techniques is clearly important. It may be possible to
couple with the Commonwealths Dirt and Gravel Road Program to expand efforts in this area.
Expansion of education programs to include owners and users of farm lanes and mine haul roads is a
logical step. There is an apparent need to develop rapid techniques for the monitoring and prediction
of fugitive emissions from unpaved roads. It is important to identify techniques to determine the
effects of dust suppressants on not only dust, but on nearby plant, animal and aquatic life.
Topical Areas
The following paragraphs outline key topic areas related to fugitive dust from unpaved roads and its
effect on Pennsylvania.
Need for Critical Review of the Literature
The answer to many of the questions and needs identified here may already be in the scientific and
engineering literature. For instance, monitoring and measuring devices that have been developed for
related issues may be suitable for use here. It would seem that a logical first step would be to survey
what tools and data currently exist before starting to develop new approaches.
Techniques for Characterization of Road Surfaces
The generation of fugitive dust from unpaved roads is obviously related to the available fine particle
content on the road surface. However, many factors affect the amount of dust generated such as
moisture content, the presence or absence of suppressants, traffic volume, vehicle weight and speed.
Fine particles are a necessary component of the aggregate that makes up the road surface. Loss of
the fine particles causes premature deterioration of the road surface, resulting in extra maintenance
costs. Clearly, techniques that allow for the rapid and inexpensive characterization of road surfaces
would be valuable both for predicting dust emissions and for making maintenance decisions.
Need for New/Improved Dust Control Techniques.
Current techniques used to control dust generation from unpaved roads are not always effective and
sometimes may be environmentally hazardous. There is a need for the development of more
advanced dust control techniques. Ideally, in addition to quality aggregate in the appropriate
gradation, a high quality dust suppressant would also be used. Water based polymers, such as
DirtGlue are excellent dust suppressants that may be used to keep the fine particles in the
aggregate matrix, thereby holding the road together while eliminating the health hazard of airborne
dust and waterborne sediment.
The Range and Scope of the Problem
Premature mortality
Aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases
Respiratory related hospital admissions and emergency room visits
Aggravated asthma
Acute respiratory symptoms, including aggravated coughing and difficult or painful breathing
Chronic bronchitis
Decreased lung function that can be experienced as shortness of breath
Work and school absences
The most harmful health effects from particulate matter are observed from particles smaller than
approximately 2.5 .mm (i.e. PM 2.5).
Other negative effects associated with particle emissions include: visibility impairment, climate change
and materials damage.
Financial costs associated with dust generation cannot be ignored. Sanders, et al.4 report that the
cost of aggregate replacement necessitated by loss of fine particles to dust can exceed $15,000 per
mile per year. In figure 2 the cost of treatment versus average daily traffic is shown (aggregate cost
estimate at $1.57/ton, aggregate cost today is substantially higher than when this report was done).
Figure 2 easily demonstrates that in most cases the cost of using what are often considered relatively
expensive dust suppressants can be justified on dollar costs alone even without considering health and
environmental effects.
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