system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do they deal with dead skin in the air, cough spatter and other small flying things in space stations?
gpt
They have a fully functional ventilation system just like any office building. More serious then dust is the risk from pockets of stale air which can build up with dangerous gasses. The ISS is first and foremost a research laboratory and does therefore deal with some potentially nasty chemicals. But any gas can cause suffocation even if it is not poisonous. The problem with space stations is that hot air does not rise so you do not get any natural air flow. So the ventilation system have to provide all the air flow and can not miss any spots. This does also collect any dust and other particles in the air. The air vents have filters in them that collects most of it. They do have a regular vacuum cleaner that they use about once a week to clean the vents. There is also regular filter changes to make sure all the dirt gets removed from the filters and that no mold starts to grow on them.