Heard a wild fact about drywall dust at a supply house in Phoenix

I was picking up some 5/8 firecode at the yard yesterday and got talking with the old timer behind the counter. He mentioned that a standard 4x8 sheet of drywall, when sanded down completely, can make about 2 pounds of fine dust. That blew my mind, I never thought about the actual weight of all that powder we create. It really hit home how much we're breathing in if we're not careful. He said he saw a study from a trade school that measured it, which got me looking up better masks right after I left. My old disposable ones probably weren't cutting it for that much stuff floating around. What's the best respirator you guys use for long sanding days in a closed room?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma3062mo ago

Honestly that sounds like a scare story to me. I've been sanding for years with a basic mask and never had a problem, feels like overkill. You really think that much dust stays in the air?

the_piper2mo ago

Wait, you've been using a basic mask for years? That's wild, @uma306. I saw a video where they used a black light to show how much fine dust hangs around for hours after sanding, it was everywhere. That stuff gets deep in your lungs and doesn't come out.

finley_lopez981mo ago

Ngl that black light video was eye opening. I switched to a half-face respirator with P100 filters a couple years back and it's a night and day difference. You don't realize how much you're actually breathing in until you wipe the inside of the mask after a session and see the dust trapped there. Basic masks just let too much of that fine stuff through, especially after an hour of sanding when they get damp from your breath. Once you use a real respirator you won't go back.