Well, let's try again. I wrote a long answer, hit Preview Message, and it completely disappeared!!! Anyway, I hope you'll be OK, since I did worse than you. Started leaf casting last summer, it had no warnings on the bag, so I figured it was safe, until I researched it further (about 2 months later!). Oops. I was outside and tried not to breathe it in, still I'm sure I inhaled some. Although I'm far from being a doctor, I believe you normally would have to do that for quite some time before it's too dangerous. I'm thinking that because my husband used to work in a dental supply place, some people there developed Silicosis, but they were the ones who worked with the powders for many years and didn't wear the masks they were supposed to. So I'm hoping we both know better now and dodged a bullet! :)

Emergorok, that was satire, perhaps you missed it. :-D BTW bleach is an oxidizer and if sodium hypochlorite is all that's there, it's not alkaline. Alcohol is not alkaline either. *However* these things as well as detergent would have a terrible effect on soil life, which was, of course, the joke. I would not worry about soil unless it was VERY dusty and dry outside and the dust was bothering me (tightness in the chest, sneezing etc.). OR if my immune system was compromised. Compost I try to turn when it's damp, not dry, to reduce dust and spores. Soil is the ecstatic skin of the Earth, it's an efficient and powerful recycler of wastes, filter system for water, and grower of wonderful things. It is not something to be feared.

" Making your own face mask? Some fabrics work better than others, study finds " This study, non peer reviewed and non published that's touted all over NBC is, sorry, looking at the issue in the wrong way. They studied how various materials can filter out the virus, which is tiny teeny, 03 micron. Sounds like this means that they're trying to prevent incoming viruses from infecting the person who wears the mask. However, one primary mode of transmission is through face-to-face interaction. Fact is that in normal interaction, speaking, coughing, sneezing, the virus is ensconced in droplets --- these droplets are way, way bigger than what Segal tested. Therefore, 1. The point is to look at how to prevent EMITTING these virus carrying droplets, that is, the wearer prevents transmitting his/her infection to others. And this is where face covers are extremely efficient: They block the spit droplets from leaving the mouth of an infected person. 2. So, any meaningful tests of protective mouth covers needs to test such droplets. 3. Yes, there is evidence that such droplets that are emitted by talking, sneezing, coughing can become aerosolized, ie become tiny, the size of what Segal tested. However, again, this can be prevented by emitting droplets in the first place. Super frustrating to see some anesthesiologist's unpublished, non-peer reviewed "study" be all over the Internet.

Just saw this article today about another immune response to the vaccine, which causes blisters, very dangerous if not treated. We know so little about the immune system, and doctors often know little about immune responses to various things. I went to see a whole host of specialists for my rash but finally figured it out by myself. One thing for sure, these symptoms should not be ignored by doctors just because they're not sure what is causing them. They should be investigated. Do read this story, linked here. Thankfully the doctor of the woman featured did some research and outreach to try and find treatment for her, better than what would have happened if s/he had just said, "Oh it will go away" . . . or kept at the standard protocols and didn't realize that there were new developments. Having had some "atypical" responses to other medications, and my one serious but not life threatening reaction to the measles vaccine, I would say that one should err on the side of caution and monitor the situation closely with the help of a GOOD doctor. It's difficult sometimes to decide how seriously to take these minor annoyances because most of the time they just resolve on their own, except when they don't . . . I'm always paranoid I will ignore some skin cancer sign . . .but on the flip side I don't have the time or money to be running to the doctor for every little thing . . . https://www.yahoo.com/news/few-covid-vaccine-recipients-developed-133911410.html Edited to add that hubs had a recurring rash that he said he picked up "in the pool at college" which recurs whenever he spends time in a public pool. It looks like the "whole body" pictures of the Pityriasis. It comes and goes at other times too. Like I said, association is not causation, because I got my first Pityriasis outbreak in college and had never spent time in the pool there, although I did go to the hot steam sauna a couple of times which necessitated going into the locker room. But still, that's just the age I was, of the typical outbreak. It came and went with me having no idea why. I did not realize that it could occur later in life. I have not had a flare up again of it. I don't have a problem with our town's public pool or locker room so far, although I never frequented it a lot. Edited AGAIN to add that delving into the fine print of the whole article Nosoccermom posted, Pityriasis rosacea is also indicated as a possible side effect of taking omoprazole/Prilosec, which hubs has started taking for acid reflux. https://www.drugs.com/omeprazole.html Ah the mysteries of the immune system . . .