a dust control apparatus in the form of a hood is disclosed for minimizing or eliminating the evolution of dust when loading dust laden solid discrete particles from a large container to a series of small containers . the apparatus is designed specifically for unloading spent catalysts from catalytic vessels into a series of drums without evolution of voluminous clouds of dust . the apparatus and method are designed to be portable so that expensive and sophisticated installations are not required in instances where the vessels are infrequently unloaded . the dust control hood makes use of the angle of repose of the solid discrete particles to be transferred in such manner that the drums do not overfill . simultaneously air is drawn across the hood and the dust is collected in a suitable filter at a distance away from the loading area . provision is also made for separation and collection of dust from pyrophoric materials utilizing an inert gas rather than air as the carrier medium .