WIP does not take place on Earth and the people use primitive tools. My character finds herself in a village in the mountains where one of their main resources are found in caves. While exploring the mines, one of the caves collapses, and there is thick dust everywhere. One of the miners inhales this and has trouble breathing. What does one do in this situation? I want my character to go and help him, but how would you help someone who in on the verge of respiratory failure with no modern day tools? I originally thought steam to bring back the moisture that the dust zapped. My fiance argues that steam will basically make mud in your lungs because you're just adding water to the dirt and dust you inhaled. The next thing would be to induce coughing to clear the airway, or manually clear the airway. In both cases, how?
Nope! think of it as an ancient civilization. The ancient Egyptians or the even earlier Sumerians couldn't just call emergency services as we know it today.
If this is something that has never happened before maybe they couldn't know how to handle it. Just let them cough it out. I wouldn't offer water to drink as the dust would turn to mud in the throat and could cause suffocation. Get them into clear air as soon as possible.
I deal with all sorts of dust all the time (coal dust, fly ash, etc.), occasionally I get blasted with it. The effects will depend on what the dust is made of. Water will clear the mouth and throat. Coughing is the body's way of clearing the airway. If you don't have supplemental oxygen, then the next best thing is to get to clear, fresh air as soon as possible. In the meantime, cover the mouth and nose with some type of filter. Use a shirt, scarf, anything that can act as a filter, this will reduce how much additional dust is breathed in. As far as the dust turning to mud, don't forget, the digestive system has some pretty powerful acids, that will keep that from happening.
The best they could do is soak a rag with eucalyptus oil and tie it bandit-style over his mouth and nose.
