Portland native Don Courson has been in construction trades for some 50 years. In that time he has continually heard complaints from various tradesmen breathing dust of all sorts from mixing mortar, grout, for tile, cement, skim coating and Ardex and Mapei self-leveling products. Courson has invented the solution to this problem and it isn’t a Dust Mask. In fact, the thing is akin to a macro paperclip and he has just released it to the public.
His design is based on the theory that the best way to keep hazardous dusts from your lungs and skin is for the dust to never get there in the first place.
Courson’s invention is called the Tuxedo No-Dust, because the contraption makes mixing concrete dustless enough that you could do it in a tux. Simple and efficient, the Tuxedo No-Dust is the missing ingredient that connects your average shop-vac to a five-gallon mixing bucket, sucking the mixing dust from the air as you work and protecting both your lungs and skin in the process.
“Recently the E.P.A has become more concerned and vocal about the dangers of concrete and grout dust and have begun publishing papers regarding this concern along with guidelines and laws that it proposes to soon enforce to protect workplace air quality,” said Courson. “The agency has even gone as far as to hint that certain job site air quality regulations are probably on the horizon.” (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/homes/hip-goodwork.html) This corresponds with recent reports by the CDC regarding safety devices developed to protect workers from concrete dust (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2009-115/)
Courson’s tool is an idea whose time has come and, because it is so simple, it is probably a little tardy. Here’s why: Health related illness connected to concrete and grout dust includes chronic bronchitis, Silicosis and cancer (from chromium compounds found in some cements). And cement and grout dust on skin or eyes can cause burns, rashes, and other kinds of irritation. Workers can become allergic to this dust if they have contact with it over a long period of time.
At this time, Tuxedo No-Dust is available at:
Cronin, 5230 N. Basin Ave., Portland, OR
T&A Supply Co., 4825 N Basin Ave., Portland, OR
Dal Tile, 3240 N.W. 29th Avenue and Yeon Street, Portland, OR
White Cap, 920 N.E. 58th Ave., Suite 900, Portland, OR
For more information, please visit http://www.tuxedonodust.com or http://www.breathnoconcretedust.com

