# I file my nails after cutting my nails and there is some dust. Should I be worried? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053 "2018-10-16T18:31:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/21 "2018-10-17T14:48:46Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > If there’s enough dust, and the right conditions, it could cause an explosion. Luckily, nail salons rarely have twenty thousand simultaneous customers. ---
**Author:** ![greenpurple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/278dde/32.png) [@greenpurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenpurple)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/22 "2018-10-17T17:19:45Z")
What are you guys talking about. After I cut my nails at home, I file them. So there’s a little dust coming out in the air. I’m just asking if it’s something I should be concerned about. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/23 "2018-10-17T17:30:33Z")
> [@greenpurple](#): > > What are you guys talking about. After I cut my nails at home, I file them. So there’s a little dust coming out in the air. I’m just asking if it’s something I should be concerned about. You were not born on the planet Krypton? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/24 "2018-10-17T17:43:58Z")
> [@greenpurple](#): > > The question is not whether the dust is expected. It’s whether it’s something I should be concerned about. For example, staff at nail salons often wear masks. But they do a lot of nails. For a normal person at home I don’t see it being an issue. If you want to cut down/control the dust without masking or building some sort of exhaust system, use a metal file (say something in the 8 inch range) and put a little Vaop-Rub on the nails first. The Vicks will hold the dust and could (just maybe) help your over-all nail health. (I have issues with my toenails and the podiatrist recommended the Vicks treatment for me) ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/25 "2018-10-17T17:44:59Z")
> [@greenpurple](#): > > What are you guys talking about. After I cut my nails at home, I file them. So there’s a little dust coming out in the air. I’m just asking if it’s something I should be concerned about. And the answer to your question is “No, you should not be concerned.” Thread over; everybody goes home. Naw, that’s no fun. So, what if your nail dust was _nuclear waste??_ ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/26 "2018-10-17T18:07:41Z")
As long as you aren’t saving up the fingernail dust in large quantities and snorting it on purpose, it’s harmless. People in nail salons deal with (a) harsh chemicals and (b) uncomfortably close and very sustained face-to-face contact, two possible reasons for masks. Think instead about barbers. Hair clippings are very similar stuff to nail clippings. The barber’s answer: sweep it up and throw it away. You should keep that attitude to nail dust and nail clippings - just sweep them up and throw them away. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/27 "2018-10-17T18:18:33Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > As long as you aren’t saving up the fingernail dust in large quantities and snorting it on purpose, it’s harmless. If you did collect it in large quantities and snort it, would it even be harmful then? And would the answer be different if you used nail polish? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/28 "2018-10-17T18:46:06Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > People in nail salons deal with (a) harsh chemicals and (b) uncomfortably close and very sustained face-to-face contact, two possible reasons for masks. See [page 9 of this OSHA PDF:](https://www.osha.gov/Publications/3542nail-salon-workers-guide.pdf) the masks commonly used in the public areas of nail salons aren’t for chemical vapors, they’re simple particulate filters. Respirators for chemical vapor protection include bulky cartridges filled with adsorbent, affixed to a soft silicone cup that seals firmly over the nose and mouth; if nail salon employees ever use these, it would likely be in non-public areas where they might be transferring large quantities of nail polish remover. As the OSHA document suggests, simple particulate filters offer protection against occupational exposure to dust (nail dust is just one type of dust salon workers might encounter) and germs. As to the OP’s question…fingernail dust, like most mechanically-generated particles, is likely to be fairly coarse, generally on the order of 10 microns or more (see Figure 1-1 on [page 5 of this PDF](https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/35718)). Coarse dust like this is generally just a nuisance, unless it happens to be a particularly toxic material or is airborne in very large/chronic amounts; it tends to get filtered out by the nose and throat (see Figure 5-1 on page 13 at previous link). We worry more about fine PM, less than 2.5 microns, which tends to make it all the way down to the gas exchange membranes of your lungs and can cause respiratory problems and even farther-reaching systemic effects. All of this to say that mechanically-generated fingernail dust isn’t really anything to worry about unless you’re deliberately snorting piles of it. Wipe it up with a damp cloth just like you do with any other household dust, and call it a day. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/29 "2018-10-18T01:17:03Z")
> [@greenpurple](#): > > What are you guys talking about. After I cut my nails at home, I file them. So there’s a little dust coming out in the air. I’m just asking if it’s something I should be concerned about. I’ve heard that’s how you get rabies. ---
**Author:** ![greenpurple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/278dde/32.png) [@greenpurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenpurple)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053/30 "2018-10-18T22:27:48Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > As long as you aren’t saving up the fingernail dust in large quantities and snorting it on purpose, it’s harmless. lol. thanks guys 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-file-my-nails-after-cutting-my-nails-and-there-is-some-dust-should-i-be-worried/823053.md?page=1)