Re: "Paper per se isn't so much of a problem(...)"
"For as short as a time as I needed to be within the blast radius and still get my job done."
I know a fine dust/air mixture and be very explosive, paper mills, grain silos, custard powder factories etc, but of the 100,000s of those places around the world, how often do they actually explode? And what's the odds of it happening while you are there? We used to have a paper mill on our customer list, went there many times, well aware of the explosion risk (H&S induction on first visit and signs everywhere), but then never really thought about it after the initial lecture, other than following the rules regarding flammable items and anything that can generate sparks in certain limited areas. Ditto for nuclear plants and chemical factories. Been to many of those. Well, only one actual nuclear power plant. On the other hand, I've been to Hartlepool many times and they have a nuclear power station a short distance from the town centre.