Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of House dust. Components of dust include: dog hair and cat hair (rust brown), pollen (yellow), plant fibres (light green), dead skin (light to medium brown, dirt (pink), fibres (blue) and spider silk (purple). Many of these components cause allergic reactions in humans. Dust in homes contains small amounts of plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibres, paper fibres, insect parts, minerals from outdoor soil, human skin cell, sand many other materials which may be found in the local environment. Magnification: x72 when shortest axis printed at 25 millimetres. |