Household dust is mostly made up of human skin, microscopic creatures and dead bugs. This may make your skin crawl, but doesn’t offer significant health risks for most people.

However, other forms of dust can be very harmful indeed. Last year, tiny particles of sand, wood and asbestos contributed to 12,000 deaths from lung disease in the UK, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Many more deaths will have been caused by exposure outside the workplace, including to particulates produced by cars.

Repeated, long-term exposure to high levels of dust of any form can harm your health. Normal household exposure will probably not cause you any problems, but working in a dusty environment may well do so.