  One of the most popular explanations for the so-called alignment effect in
high redshift (z>0.7) radio galaxies is the scattering by dust of the hidden
quasar light. As shown by De Young (1998) a problem with the dust scattering
model is that the short destruction time-scale for dust grains means that they
will not survive the passage of the radio jet.
  We investigate the survival of dust in the extended ionised gas of nearby
active galaxies with jet/gas interactions. We discuss the implications on the
alignment effect of high redshift (>0.7) radio galaxies. We conclude that
although shocks are likely to destroy dust grains in regions of interaction,
dust might survive in enough quantities to scatter light from the active
nucleus and produce alignment between scattered light and the radio structures.
  We propose an observational test to investigate the existence of dust in
shocked regions based on the sensitivity of calcium to depletion onto dust
grains.
