Many of you already know that when working wood, it is always very wise to use at least a dust mask. This is a reminder that cleanup can be just as important.

After my wood rod project, where I wore a mask the whole time, I noticed that a few days after I was done, I started feeling crappy anytime I was in my work room, and last week, it got to the point where within 10 seconds of entering my room, I had violent, uncontrollable sneezing fits that lasted upwards of an hour after moving to fresh air, a constant headache, spontaneous nosebleeds throughout the days and nights, and I was constantly short of breath. The culprit turned out to be sanding dust.

Seems I didn't do a thorough job of cleanup and even opening the door to my room and moving around stirred up just enough renegade sanding dust that was on the floor to make things go nuts. There is a compound in western red cedar that can really open a can of whup on some folks if you get to breathing just a small amount of the dust. Over the weekend my son helped me do a really good cleaning (with masks on) and like magic, the problem is gone for the most part and now I can actually get back to some building. Nobody else but me was affected, so apparently over the years I've become sensitized to it, and apparently, nearly overnight.

Many exotic woods and spalted types can be pretty hazardous as most know, but even some domestics can be bad news. And as I found out, you don't have to actually be working with the stuff for it to bite ya. Don't let it sneak up on ya. A clean shop is a happy shop!

Wood dusts like most dusts can be taken care of short term with a standard dust mask. The dust that you see all piled up in front of you at the lathe or lathe table, are large particle tidbits of material that are pretty heavy in relation to air therefore fall to the table immediately...then there's the medium size particulates that float around a bit, maybe landing on some finish thats still wet. MOST dangerous of all are the little bity particles, measured in microns and fractions thereof, that you can't even see. Just walking past them can get them back into your breathing spacing in a heartbeat.

I don't know what kind of wood you deal with or what its been treated with...but the quickest way to get nasty stuff into your body is through the respiratory system.

So keep on sanding, keep on mixing epoxy, keep on @#$%& in solvents in poorly ventilated areas generally in basements, garages, or shops chock full of mold spores.

50% of the people that read your post will wear a dust mask next time they sand. next week when they sand only 25% , of the 50% will wear them.

Your own health and personal shop safety IS UP TO YOU / THE INDIVIDUAL!!!

Thanks for posting this Mick....maybe it will get a few people thinking long term.

Sincerely

Carl Synogene



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2006 07:06PM by Michael Joyce.

Thanks for the reminder, Mick. I don't know how much good it does, but I have a large box fan facing backwards with a high micron furnace filter taped to it and I can literally see the fine dust being sucked in and trapped [www.rodbuilding.org]

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Thanks Mick - this stuff is really serious business and all who build rods need to pay attention to the environment their work environment an give proper attention to all potential hazards. My recent sensitization to epoxy became serious was caused by poor work shop design and ventilation. The problem you describe really nailed my best friend. He was a long time cabinet maker and was notified last year that his sinus cavity lymphoma cancer probably originated from wood dust generated when working with exotic woods in poorly ventilated areas.

Speaking from experience, just a slight allergy problem will make the dust problem about a hundred times worse. Some of it is about as hazardous as about anything you can breath in. Play it safe and always wear a mask.
Murf

Mike, filtration to begin with is much better than just a mask, and both are even better. Just remember that when the fan is turned off, some of that dust is going to get loose and kicked around. I was fine during the working process. It was after I was done wood working and thus not wearing a mask, when everything started.

Bill, as you said, wood alone can be a pretty nasty thing. I used to do a lot of work with cedar with no problems, and the last time I touched it was over 10 years ago. All of a sudden though, bammo. Similar to you with your epoxy troubles. It isn't worth the trouble. Keep your work areas clean and aired out now and then, otherwise something might catch up with you.

Also, my project was with hand tools, which generate far less dust than lathes, power sanders, etc. Power users should definitely use at least a basic filtration unit like Mike uses, and on the same note, don't think you might be safe just because you don't do lathe work.

My last few weeks were nothing too serious in the end, but let me tell you, it was darned irritating, painful, disruptive to general life, and several other adjectives that I won't go into. Again, when you are done working, clean up your shop, and clean it well. A 15 minute rubdown just might save you a lot of trouble down the road. If nothing else, it's a good habit anyway.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/11/2006 09:11PM by Mick McComesky.

Ebony gets me pretty bad. Even with a mask on my eyes water. This year I'm going to have to make dust control and air flitration the priority.

Scott,

Ebony gets to me too. Cocobolo is bad also, but not as bad as the ebony.

Mike Barkley just gave me a wonderful idea. Since my lathe is close to an outside door, I'm going to put a box fan in the door. Open the door and blow the dust out the door. I won't need a filter. Hopefully the the dust will kill the weeds in the yard. Life is always an experiement for me. All expeiments have been the happy times! (even if they fail)

Ed Smith

If you clean up with a vacuum dont forget to wash it out and change the filter or every time it goes on the dust will be redistributed to the air.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Mike,
As a young person entering the workforce I was hired by a forrest products company. My job was to load finished lumber into railroad boxcars. We worked in the open air (roof overhead) with various species of wood, one being western red cedar. I soon found out that some people (I am not one) are allergic to western red cedar. Over the years I witnessed several new employees have a reaction to the cedar just by touching the lumber with their hands. My point is, if you have any type of reaction when working with wood or any other material you need to take the appropriate precautions to avoid contact in the future. This could include gloves, mask, or respirator, long sleeve shirt and good ventilation. If the problem is serious enough it might require you to move outside to accomplish a particular task then move back inside.

My main hobby is woodworking and my sinuses don't take kindly to wood dust. Instead of relying on dust masks it's imperative to collect dust at the source. I have a decent DC system for collecting chips and dust from my major woodworking tools including the lathe (2hp Oneida cyclone). I can sand cork at the lathe and not have it bug me. My DC filters to the sub micron level and what comes out of it is cleaner than the normal air in my shop. In choosing handheld power tools I pick tools with good dust collection capability built in (mainly Festool). When I can't collect dust at the source (hollowing bowls on the lathe) I use a Triton respirator which provides good protection (face, head) and very decent dust filtration. Of course for finishing I use a respirator designed for finishing (your basic 3M 1/2 mask).

Before getting serious about dust containment and collection I use to have chronic sinus infections. I would be under antibiotics for a couple of weeks, then ok for a week or two, then back on the antibiotics for another sinus infection. Since I became serious about dust collection I haven't had any further health problems due to the shop.

Carpenters cancer as it is often called can be tied to long term wood dust exposure such as western red cedar.
Once a person becomes sensitized to an irritant the clock can not be turned back, it takes a long time for the sensitivity to subside back to normal.
O.S.H.A. code of federal regulations has an entire section pertaining directly to western red cedar. It is not a new workplace hazard, just one that gets rediscovered every so often. PPE is the short term solution. Masks become a pain in the butt to wear and after a while users tend to discontinue compliance.
Proper dust collection, containment, and copious ventilation is the long term solution.