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Combustible Dust

Category Press Release
Publish Date 10/28/2025
Author Joe Frasca
Title Combustible Dust Testing Helps Prevent Catastrophic Loss of Life, Injuries and Destruction of Buildings
Introduction EMSL ISO17025 Accredited Combustible Dust Testing Lab

Cinnaminson, New Jersey, October 28, 2025

What is Combustible Dust?

Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air under certain conditions. A dust explosion can cause catastrophic loss of life, injuries, and destruction of buildings. In many of these incidents, workers and managers were unaware of the potential for dust explosions, or failed to recognize the serious nature of dust explosion hazards. It is important to determine if your company has this hazard, and if you do, you must take action now to prevent tragic consequences.

How Dust Explosions Occur

In addition to the familiar fire triangle of oxygen, heat, and fuel (the dust), dispersion of dust particles in sufficient quantity and concentration can cause rapid combustion known as a deflagration. If the event is confined by an enclosure such as a building, room, vessel, or process equipment, the resulting pressure rise may cause an explosion. These five factors (oxygen, heat, fuel, dispersion, and confinement) are known as the “Dust Explosion Pentagon”. If one element of the pentagon is missing, an explosion cannot occur.

Catastrophic Secondary Explosions

An initial (primary) explosion in processing equipment or in an area where fugitive dust has accumulated may dislodge more accumulated dust into the air, or damage a containment system (such as a duct, vessel, or collector). As a result, if ignited, the additional dust dispersed into the air may cause one or more secondary explosions. These can be far more destructive than a primary explosion due to the increased quantity and concentration of dispersed combustible dust. Many deaths in past incidents, as well as other damage, have been caused by secondary explosions.

Industries at Risk

Combustible dust explosion hazards exist in a variety of industries, including: agriculture, chemicals, food (e.g., candy, sugar, spice, starch, flour, feed), grain, fertilizer, tobacco, plastics, wood, forest, paper, pulp, rubber, furniture, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, tire and rubber manufacturing, dyes, coal, metal processing (e.g., aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, and zinc), recycling operations, fossil fuel power generation (coal), and 3D welding (a form of 3D printing).

Where is Combustible Dust found?

Does your company or firm process any of these products or materials in powdered form? If you work in a industry or your company processes any of these products or materials, there is potential for a “Combustible Dust” explosion.

Agricultural Products

  • Egg white
  • Milk, powdered
  • Milk, nonfat, dry
  • Soy flour
  • Starch, corn
  • Starch, rice
  • Starch, wheat
  • Sugar
  • Sugar, milk
  • Sugar, beet
  • Tapioca
  • Whey
  • Wood flour

Agricultural Dusts

  • Alfalfa
  • Apple
  • Beet root
  • Carrageen
  • Carrot
  • Cocoa bean dust
  • Cocoa powder
  • Coconut shell dust
  • Coffee dust
  • Corn meal
  • Cornstarch
  • Cotton
  • Cottonseed
  • Garlic powder
  • Gluten Grass dust
  • Green coffee
  • Hops (malted)
  • Lemon peel dust
  • Lemon pulp
  • Linseed
  • Locust bean gum
  • Malt
  • Oat flour
  • Oat grain dust
  • Olive pellets
  • Onion powder
  • Parsley (dehydrated)
  • Peach
  • Peanut meal and skins
  • Peat
  • Potato
  • Potato flour
  • Potato starch
  • Raw yucca seed dust
  • Rice dust
  • Rice flour
  • Rice starch
  • Rye flour
  • Semolina
  • Soybean dust
  • Spice dust
  • Spice powder
  • Sugar (10x)
  • Sunflower
  • Sunflower seed dust
  • Tea
  • Tobacco blend
  • Tomato
  • Walnut dust
  • Wheat flour
  • Wheat grain dust
  • Wheat starch
  • Xanthan gum

Carbonaceous Dusts

  • Charcoal, activated
  • Charcoal, wood
  • Coal, bituminous
  • Coke, petroleum
  • Lampblack
  • Lignite
  • Peat, 22%H20
  • Soot, pine
  • Cellulose
  • Cellulose pulp
  • Cork Corn

Chemical Dusts

  • Adipic acid
  • Anthraquinone
  • Ascorbic acid
  • Calcium acetate
  • Calcium stearate
  • Carboxy-methylcellulose
  • Dextrin
  • Lactose
  • Lead stearate
  • Methyl-cellulose
  • Paraformaldehyde
  • Sodium ascorbate
  • Sodium stearate
  • Sulfur

Metal Dusts

  • Aluminum
  • Bronze
  • Iron carbonyl
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc

Plastic Dusts

  • (poly) Acrylamide
  • (poly) Acrylonitrile
  • (poly) Ethylene (low-pressure process)
  • Epoxy resin
  • Melamine resin
  • Melamine, molded (phenol-cellulose)
  • Melamine, molded (wood flour and mineral filled phenolformaldehyde)
  • (poly) Methyl acrylate
  • (poly) Methyl acrylate, emulsion polymer
  • Phenolic resin
  • (poly) Propylene
  • Terpene-phenol resin
  • Urea-formaldehyde/cellulose, molded
  • (poly) Vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymer
  • (poly) Vinyl alcohol
  • (poly) Vinyl butyral
  • (poly) Vinyl chloride/ethylene/vinyl acetylene suspension copolymer
  • (poly) Vinyl chloride/vinyl acetylene emulsion copolymer

Various Industries

  • Agriculture
  • Food
  • Powder Chemical
  • Textile
  • Furniture
  • Metal Processing and Fabrication
  • Tire and Rubber Manufacturing
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Paper
  • Waste Water Treatment
  • Recycling Operation
  • Coal + Mining
  • Pigment
  • Plastics

Prevention of Dust Explosions

To identify factors that may contribute to a explosion, OSHA recommends a thorough hazard assessment of:

  • All materials handled
  • All operations conducted, including by-products
  • All spaces (including hidden ones)
  • All potential ignition sources

OSHA has created the “Hazard Communication Guidance for Combustible Dusts”. This document is intended to help manufacturers and importers of chemicals recognize the potential for dust explosions and to identify appropriate protective measures as part of their hazard determination under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). This document is available for view and download at www.osha.gov

Should You Be Concerned?

Combustible dust can be found in various industries. The force from a combustible dust can cause infrastructure damage, instrument damage, injuries, and even death. A concern is typically noted if a dust layer has accumulated 1/32” or greater over a surface area of at least 5% of the floor area. If you do not believe your employer is practicing good housekeeping and combustible dust is a concern in your workplace, you should alert your employer immediately. Always ask for an SDS of each material you are working with.

Dust Control Recommendations

  • Implement a hazardous dust inspection, testing, housekeeping, and control program
  • Use proper dust collection systems and filters
  • Minimize the escape of dust from process equipment or ventilation systems
  • Use surfaces that minimize dust accumulation and facilitate cleaning
  • Provide access to all hidden areas to permit inspection
  • Inspect for dust residues in open and hidden areas at regular intervals
  • If ignition sources are present, use cleaning methods that do not generate dust clouds
  • Use only vacuum cleaners approved for dust collection
  • Locate relief valves away from dust deposits

Order Your FREE Full-Color 24” x 18” Combustible Dust Educational Poster

 
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories with locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for combustible dust, mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP <797>, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOCs, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products, and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA LAP, LLC. (AIHA EMLAP, AIHA IHLAP, AIHA ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP, and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete list of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.




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