Thread: A disinfectant made from sawdust mows down deadly microbes

Wood has been known for many years to be antibiotic which is why wooden cutting boards and food containers are usually safe to use.

However, it's the same compounds that probably cause issues when riding on <PM2.5 dust sufficient of it gets deep inside you that creates health problems .

Originally Posted by BobL

Wood has been known for many years to be antibiotic which is why wooden cutting boards and food containers are usually safe to use.

However, it's the same compounds that probably cause issues when riding on <PM2.5 dust sufficient of it gets deep inside you that creates health problems .

I found this on Reddit and they are talking about these aspects... esp cutting boards and the age-old use of Phenols.

Much that is old is new again....

What I found interesting was the apparent "new" compounds.

On breathing wood dust, maybe it is disinfecting US from the environment

Thanks WP - there is a bit more to this than meets the eye... or the lungs

Note: this information is NOT relating to processed or treated timbers but to the natural compounds inherent of trees.

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating a multitude of health benefits of the volatile organic compounds found in trees.
These compounds collectively called pytoncides also known as terpenes. Not only are they antibiotic but are also anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral.

"Phytoncides bear significant physiological and medical properties for human beings. Alpha-pinene is a very prevalent phytoncide found among others, in pine, cypress, cedars but also in oak and eucalypt trees". When we sit under or walk among (living) trees we inhale and absorb these VOC's into our blood stream.

Now this is where it gets really interesting. Unequivocal evidence show that spending time in a forested area reduces blood pressure, boosts immune function, lowers pulse rate, reduces cortisol, and increases NK cell count (the cells in our blood that destroy cancer cells)

Do not inhale saw dust - that will illicit a cascade of pro-inflammatory responses, and the multitude of detrimental health effects as many here already know. However, we may safely enjoy the many varied aromas of natural timbers and living trees.

I would imagine that the disinfectant referred to has been a simple process of distillation from a sawdust waste product. (Adit: "The researchers cooked mixtures of water and sawdust for one hour under pressure and filtered them") Much more crude than distillation

There may be a evolutionary biological reason why we enjoy smelling the wonderful scents forest/bushland after the rain

Happy to provide references for those interested

Now that is VERY VERY interesting.