Fine particulate matter (PM 10 –2.5) and other bugs

During pre-"Covid" times (if I may say without pointing a finger at that single event), I would make a point of reminding former employers that office-cleaners would neglect disinfecting most-frequently-touched objects—I'm tempted enough to give that an acronym MFTOs (if only to stress its importance)—So, then what are MFTOs?

Well, just think about all places and objects you have touched today...(before touching your own self...afterwards):

doorhandles, light-switches, washbasin taps, restroom doors, shared photocopiers and (shared) PC keyboards—to start your list.

Next, shift your gaze just above your heads: air-filtration systems, dusty ceilings installations (wifi-modems, light fixtures, etc.), electric-fan propellors,...

Then, "Covid" came along. Next, the mask-wearing.

Now is mask-wearing totally sensible? "Is it still necessary?" What, you say? Really??

In metropolitan areas, major contributors of PM2.5 pollution are vehicle emissions, industrial activity, construction, power generation, and biomass burning, says Sage AI (on Quora).

Then I asked Sage (gpt-3.5-turbo OpenAI) why it had not mentioned PM2.5 found indoors, in every household (and office) with a desktop PC.

Although amounts of PM2.5 levels indoors is negligible, Sage spat out that [our] desktop PC is still a minor contributor, and proceeded to supply the following very useful tips (which I have redacted, since—mark my words—a human hand pens it much better than our AI ever will!—Give me back my talent, thank you very much):

• wear an N95 hygiene mask 😷 while dusting** and vacuuming the inside of your desktop computer, as small particles become airborne and PM is bound to escape, where exposure is more concentrated and in close proximity, especially if your PC was not cleaned recently! When did you last clean the inside of it? 

• maintain clean cooling fans and vents, hard disk drives and other moving parts as these do emit trace amounts of PM. 

Naturally, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with a more vulnerable respiratory system, should avoid doing such cleaning work. If you are asthmatic, have allergies or other respiratory symptoms, leave it to someone else to clean your computer.

• air out rooms frequently, or use an adequate air filtration system if necessary 

• upgrade older PC models which may emit more pollution

• use an air-purifier (with HEPA filter) in the home and workplace, especially in small or poorly ventilated spaces

• practise good general hygiene, like regularly washing hands*, and regularly disinfect your keyboard ⌨️!!! Because, even at work, cleaners do not do that for you!! 

• mop floors after dusting to minimize air particulates.  

• disposable gloves also help avoid skin contact with ultrafine dust. 

• clean your desktop PC preferably outdoors; if not, do it in a well-ventilated open space with opened windows with an exhaust fan to rapidly ventilate the room and remove airborne particles. 

** for dusting, use a compressed-air duster [spray-can] instead of manual dusting and wiping when possible. Canned blows dust out of components without stirring it up into the air. (Be sure to follow directions and avoid overcooling computer parts.)

*** source: Sage AI (on Quora)

• Last but not least, avoid cleaning your PC right before a mealtime, and—did I not mention it? ...

* wash your hands thoroughly when you've finished a task!!

And by task, I also mean I still see men leaving public restrooms without having washed their hands!! It's plain filthy. If everyone just washed their hands frequently, as Dr Ignaz Semmelweis once advised—and it still goes on deaf ears—we ... most probably wouldn't have had to go round wearing masks, folks! (But like with Semmelweis, who probably also said "mark my words", who will actually listen to me?)

Anywho! I trust I gave you something to think about—post-Covid.