Wood dust & lungs ?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

http://www2.tulane.edu/article_news_...ArticleID=6535

Tulane U. article on wood dust and lungs. They say it's no big deal.
cough cough

Of course I haven't read the research so I can't opine but the Tulane folks aren't dummies.

[Don Baer]

That was hashed over in this post last Feb.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ghlight=Tulane

Keep in mind that study had to do with industrial furniture factories. They have massive dust collection systems and change the air very frequently. Stuff that the average hobbiest wod worker can't afford to do. When I get my new shop I'll be doing my own study and I'll be measuring the concentrations and sizes of particles for various mahing operations.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

It's not illogical to suggest that there are limits to the dust ( any dust) one's lungs can tolerate.
It'd have been nice of them to offer what they thought those limits might be.

I use my own highly technical standard. If I'm uncomfortable I do something about it.

OR as little Abner said: "When I itches I scritches."

[Don Baer]

OSHA has perscribed published limit. keep one thing in mind when your dealing with particulate it's no only the amount but also the size. Any particles 10 microns or less will make it past your respiration system and into the lungs.
anything less then 2 1/2 microns will get trapped in the lining of your lungs and anything less then 1 micron will be absorbed directly into you blood. that why there are seperate limits for these sizes of particles. If you realy want to know more you can google PM 10, PM 2.5 and PM 1.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Ohhh such a lovely picture. I'm the guy who hates shots.

[Frank Chaffee]

I use my own highly technical standard. If I'm uncomfortable I do something about it.

Cliff,
Please also keep in mind that some ill affects from particulate matter take many years to manifest, so one may be doing something about it too late.
Frank

[Ken Salisbury]

I personally believe this to be a farce above all other farces. As most of you know I have been battling lung cancer for over 10 months. These so called "tests" run under extremely controlled conditions in factories where many precautions are taken to reduce the polutants in no way represents what most of us are subjected to.

My doctors are convinced that at least my exposure to sawdust over my 60 years of woodworking was a contributing factor in my diagnosis. Yes I am a smoker and that along with the sawdust was the cause of my demise.

If they wanted to find out what the real effect is they should have done their research in the real world.

Maybe Dr Henry Glindmeyer would like to come down to Alabama and take my next round of chemo therapy and see it that gives him a pause to reflect on his "research".

It should also be noted that the: The study was funded by the Intra-industry Wood Dust Coordinating Committee that represents 16 wood products associations. Kinda like hiring a weasle to guard the henhouse.
Dr Glindmeyer should find something else to occupy his time.

.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

some ill affects from particulate matter take many years to manifest, so one may be doing something about it too late.

Nothing could be more true.

[Ray Moser]

Note who sponsored the research. I always have my doubts when the conclusions of studies come out in favor of those who paid the bills. I suggest that the Tulane study is not truely independant. Thank you but I'll keep wearing my dust mask.

[Bill Pentz]

Wood dust triggered my double pneumonia in 1995 that was nearly terminal, so I became an early fan of fine filtering. I foolishly threw money at the problem buying the “best” recommended cyclone. When its poor fine dust separation quickly destroyed the vendor supplied filter, I bought an even finer filter only to land back in the hospital in early 1999 with dust triggered double pneumonia and congestive heart failure from my heart unable to get ample oxygen.

I could not believe my doctors when they blamed my woodworking. As an engineer, university instructor, and designer of air quality measurement equipment I wanted proof. I underwent some painful and expensive specialized allergy testing that clearly showed with large ugly infected welts that I had developed serious sensitivity to the hardwoods and exotics that I like to use in my woodworking. I then took the next step and had an expensive medical air quality test run on my shop and home. Invisible residual dust, that stuff that went right through my filters, was so built up in my shop that after three months of no woodworking just turning on my cyclone caused my shop to fail OSHA air quality limits. Just a little woodworking pushed the airborne particle counts over 12,000 times higher than considered medically safe. In short, my fine filter was a sieve that freely passed almost all of the finest unhealthiest airborne dust.

So, what’s my two cents on that article? Like Ken, I suggest those industry paid consultants wear my oxygen hose, undergo my breathing treatments, take my constant sprays and pills, then get the regular arterial taps in my place as I have been doing since `99 then see if they come up with the same results. A Google search on “PM 2.5 health risks” now shows over six million references on the potential dangers of exposure to dust particles sized 2.5-microns and smaller. I consider that study of the known cleanest shops in the industry a major disservice to small shop woodworkers. The studied shops typically maintain less than one fifth the airborne dust as allowed by OSHA, but small shops consistently average 2 to 20 times higher airborne dust levels than permitted by the OSHA standards. This led to my coming up with a better cyclone design and sharing my web pages, so others would not have to put up with this same fun.

[Howard Acheson]

I am a firm beleiver is respirators when working in a woodshop. However, only one type of cancer has be found that is caused by wooddust. It's a rather rare cancer of the sinus. No lung cancer has been identified.

But, there are a lot of lung related dangers and hazards associated with wooddust. So, dust collection, air cleaning but, most importantly, a good NIOSH approved and well fitted respirator is the best protective device.

[Alex Berkovsky]

...a good NIOSH approved and well fitted respirator is the best protective device.

Howard,
Can you recommend one.

[Bill Pentz]

Howie,

I agree on the research so far saying the cancer risks are small, but also know there is a ton of research that says these fine particles cause all kinds of other health problems over time. I also used to agree with you on the need to wear a good respirator or NIOSH approved dust mask, but my doctor and medical air quality inspector who tested my shop and home convinced me the mask or respirator is not good enough. They will only protect us when on, but provide no protection for all the rest of the time.

We have lots of holes in our dust collection efforts that end up filling our shop air with fine dust. Most of our tools are older designs that without better hoods spray fine dust everywhere. Most of our dust collectors and cyclones move less than half the airflow needed for good fine dust collection at our larger tools and dustier operations. Most of our filters also freely pass the finest unhealthiest dust right through.

Even if we only make a tiny fraction of the dust made by large commercial woodworking concerns, unlike most of them who blow this fine dust away, we trap the fine dust that is missed by our collection efforts to generate a serious problem. It takes six months or longer for this dust to dissipate. Meanwhile it turns into even finer particles that are more toxic as molds, fungi, mildews, yeasts, and bacteria break it down. As a result, unless we regularly blow out our shops, we build up huge amounts of very fine near invisible airborne dust in our shops. OSHA and medical testing confirm that even those of us who do little woodworking consistently have work areas that average 2 to 20 times the airborne dust levels allowed by OSHA.

This stuff is so fine and light that it spreads in any shared airflow plus is carried on our skin, clothes and hair to contaminate any area we visit exposing all close to us. Worse, the finest near invisible particles get launched airborne again and again by the airflow from our tools, dust collection, vacuums, and air compressors. Unless magnified or highlighted by a beam of sunlight or laser, dust particles smaller than about 10-microns are invisible. So many end up like my shop looking clean while having dangerously unhealthy levels of airborne dust. A ton of research shows the long term damage of particles smaller than 2.5-microns (search Google for "PM 2.5 health risks" to see over 6 million references).

Thirty years of insurance data and medical testing show almost all exposed to these dust levels eventually develop health problems, with about one in eight developing debilitating problems.

[Mark Pruitt]

...unless we regularly blow out our shops, we build up huge amounts of very fine near invisible airborne dust in our shops.

Unless magnified or highlighted by a beam of sunlight or laser, dust particles smaller than about 10-microns are invisible. So many end up like my shop looking clean while having dangerously unhealthy levels of airborne dust.

Bill,
(1) Regarding blowing out the dust from my shop, I have a difficult time doing this so as to cause the dust to evacuate rather than simply stir around only to eventually land elsewhere in the shop. It's a two car garage with a walk in door from the outside at the rear of the side wall. This may be something that I just have to live with, but if there is a method for actually evacuating the dust as opposed to simply stirring it I'm all ears.

(2) Your point about the light hitting the dust hits home with me. The other day I was of the opinion that the air was relatively clear, then I caught the light from the sun at just the right angle.....holy moses, the DUST! I'm beginning to wonder if the dust we create is actually more hazardous than the tools we use to create it.

I cannot help but wonder if dust played into my coming down with pneumonia last year--although my pulmonologist says it was caused by something else.

[Bill Pentz]

Mark,

1) I open both garage doors and use my electric leaf blower while a big fan sits in the side doorway blowing in a storm. That moves the dust out pretty quickly in my shop, but not something to try without a mask and eye protection. If you can't open the garage doors, then a couple of big exhaust fans, one in the door blowing out and the other keeping the air stirred will help. The real secret is to capture as much of the fine dust as you can as it is made. I often take a few of my tools outside like my router and sidewinder that even the downdraft table cannot keep up with.

2) Our tools can be pretty bad when things go wrong, but over time the dust can equally hurt you. My first pulmonary specialist in 1995 diagnosed my pneumonia from a chronic sinus infection with no tie to wood dust. It was not until I also began seeing a pulmonary allergist that he did the testing to find that fine wood dust was behind the chronic sinus problems. Sadly it took six years in between and two more rounds of pneumonia that did a lot of damage before that was discovered. Whether you are allergic or not, give yourself a break from the general irritation of wooddust until you are better.