Tensor Dust

[Fifth of Daybreak]

Anyone have any idea why Prof would insist that Tensor dust is not as harmful to breathe in as you would assume? Anytime they describe the dust, they make it sound like it is only comprised of what it used to be, and inhaling heavy metals is definitely not good for your lungs (it would most likely lead to pulmonary fibrosis.)

Maybe we'll get some more information on it when the next book hits shelves, but I was hoping someone might have a theory here. 

[king of nowhere]

My best explanation is that it actually is harmful, but prof also pass around healing powers, so it doesn't matter. After all, every person exposed to tensor dust is also living close to prof, so he get the chance to sneakily heal them.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Maybe it has something to do with his fear of corrupting his friends with too much power. Like, maybe breathing the tensor dust weakens them enough to not let the other powers go to their heads. Or something. It sounded better in my head. 

[Fifth of Daybreak]

My best explanation is that it actually is harmful, but prof also pass around healing powers, so it doesn't matter. After all, every person exposed to tensor dust is also living close to prof, so he get the chance to sneakily heal them.

That's a possibility, but I feel like if it were the case, Brandon would have Prof just tell them not to worry about it because of the Harmsway, instead of having David repeat his concerns about it internally. 

Maybe it has something to do with the way the material seems to diminish as David points out when talking to Prof before the Steelheart fight.

[name_here]

I'm pretty sure there's some form of material conversion to an unusual and harmless material. Lots of materials you wouldn't think of as combustible can cause a dust explosion if broken into fine enough pieces, but that doesn't seem to have ever been a problem. Granted, I'm not entirely sure steel is on that list, so it might not be a problem in Newcago.

[Lightsworn Panda]

Here's an interesting link about dust and lungs:

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/lungs_dust.html

[Pathfinder]

It has been commented that epic's powers don't work as science would logically dictate (for example the amount of dust produced vs the object tensored), didn't David also comment once how even when he tensored certain objects, he still got the grey dust? So maybe it doesn't so much convert material A to dust of material A, but instead converts material A, or B, or C, all to dust material Z. 

 

edit: take with grain of salt, I still need to look it up to confirm. It has been awhile since I've read it, and I have mis-remembered things before. 

Edited May 8, 2014 by P4thf1nd3r

[Fifth of Daybreak]

It has been commented that epic's powers don't work as science would logically dictate (for example the amount of dust produced vs the object tensored), didn't David also comment once how even when he tensored certain objects, he still got the grey dust? So maybe it doesn't so much convert material A to dust of material A, but instead converts material A, or B, or C, all to dust material Z. 

 

edit: take with grain of salt, I still need to look it up to confirm. It has been awhile since I've read it, and I have mis-remembered things before. 

 

I honestly had the same thought when reading it the first time, but during a reread I noticed this section:

 

 

"You are growing quite good," Abraham said. Then he reached ino one of the rates I'd opened and fished out an apple, which was now covered in sawdust. It made something of a mess getting it out. 

Steelheart Chapter 23

 

I think it's unlikely that sawdust was used for packing the crates, from the term 'now' being used in that section. I know for a fact that long term exposure to saw dust is bad for the lungs as well. 

 

I think the most interesting thing from Lightsword Panda's article is that the metal dust isn't causing pulmonary fibrosis. So possibly the steel dust wouldn't cause the fibrosis, but it would still lead to some sort of pulmonic disorder, asthma, or COPD at the very least.