Thread: Wood dust allergy

Sounds like classic WRC allergy and skin allergy is usually just the first stage of followup allergies.

Dust masts are a poor substitute compared to proper dust extraction for allergy control. It's not only skin but it also can get into your eyes, it gets under your clothes and underwear and sits there in moist places dumping its allergic chemicals into you. Even though you can't see it I'll bet you are working in an invisible fog of fine WRC dust

Unless when you stop working you immediately change your clothes and have a shower you will be carrying that dust around with you until you do. The human body also acts like a chimney and the fine WRC dust will continuously waft up from you clothes and skin past your face nose/mouth/eyes until you change clothes and have a shower. You have almost certainly spread WRC dust all over your shed and your house house so you are touching and breathing WRC dust everywhere you've been

Creams are not very effective because the dust sticks to the cream and then repeated body movements end up transferring the dust from the outside to the inside layer of the cream.

You might currently have no outward signs of respiratory problems but but that does not mean you have not been affected and would recommend especially at your age taking a lung function test so you know what your % is now, in case your breathing subsequently starts to show signs of being affected especially with the chance of infection from COVID19 perhaps in a second or third wave.

If you don't want your problem getting worse the very first thing I'd recommend investing in decent Dust extraction that can extract all of the fine dust at source from machines and power tools and also hand tools. If this is set up right you should not have to wear a mask at all although given you already have an allergy I would still do that - BUT after you have set up dust extraction.

Start by reading how this is done in the dust extraction forum. It's likely you will still have a problem with touching the wood so you will have to wear latex or nitric gloves.

I lost my sense of smell for 6 weeks in 2002 from working with MDF outside. When I eventually set up my dust extraction system I made sure I could work without a mask. These days I can do anything I like with MDF and other timbers and am not affected.

Time for a tree change. You are not the first person to go under the spell of WRC. It only gets worse. You need to change specie, at least for a while.

I am allergic to Western Red Cedar. The allergy took about 18 months to become noticeable, but when it did, it was noticeable to everyone. My forearms become visibly bumpy with hives, which are bloody itchy! The chemist first recommended some kind of over the counter cortisone cream, but that did nothing. Then they said to try Telfast. That worked, that worked great! That was 19 years ago. Since then I have taken one 180mg fexofenadine hydrochloride (that's the cheaper no-name version of Telfast) tablet each morning.

I don't use WRC anymore, and so I became a little laxed with taking the tablets each morning for about a month. It turns out I am also allergic to pinus radiata now, and especially the species that the Americans use for their structural pines, I just call it lodge pole but it seems very different to our radiata. The hive reaction on my arms is not as bad as with WRC than the pines, but it's still damn itchy. I still use pine every day, cut up 2 1/2 6 meter packs just this morning!

The TAFE teacher in Canberra got nasal cancer from WRC.
This stuff is bad news.
I guess what makes it good for window frames etc is what we are reacting to.
Teak and Cypress are similar.
Blackbean and Redbean even Tas Blackwood.
The CSIRO did publish something on this way back possibly in the 1970s.
H.

i had a quick search online and that would have been Bolza in 1976.
Theres a recent USyd PHD that comes up if you google ‘Wood allergies in Australia’.
I was made aware of the Bolza study in 1981 so before embarking on becoming a designer maker I had an allergy test. I’d always had a sniffy nose thanks to the stuff we used as a patternmaker and a cat at home as a kid.
Bit vague on the test now but from memory they stuck samples in scratches in your arms to see your reaction.
I’ve had a few mates develop bad enough allergy’s that they’ve walked away from all woodworking.

WOW, thanks very much to all for taking the trouble to provide me with such detailed info on the evils of WRC. Clearly, I have deep contemplation of this serious issue ahead of me; as far as historical medical research, relief from symptoms, and with regard to more efffective extraction discussion with the boss- or hopefully not, a removal of self from WRC contact. Perusal of earlier similar threads has also been enlightening and the efficiency of this forum and it's members has to be commended.
Also, attn Clearout- posted 0625 on ANZAC Day!- hope you were enjoying a rum with breakfast after appropriate payment of respects. Onya mate

See Timber Health Hazards

Thanks David, I came across this list in my earlier research, made contact with Neil/U Beaut to discuss, and it was actually Neil who referred me to this forum. Gotta love it when everyone's got a finger on the pulse, cheers mate keep up the great work.

Kuffy:
Lodgepole pine is Pinus contorta. Monterey Pine is Pinus radiata. Somewhat different mechanical and non-mechanical properties as you have discovered.

There are several western red cedar mills just minutes away from my house in this village.
Nobody ever says much about WRC allergies. Maybe because they mostly split wood not saw it?
However, there are cedar shingle mills down on the SW coast near Vancouver and I heard those guys don't last very long in there.

I think particle size matters. I've been handling and carving WRC for approx 20 years with no ill effects that I have noticed.
Chips and dust are very different. As a rule, I don't sand any of my carvings.
Any massive sanding project has to wait for summer and gets done outdoors.

Thanks Robson, sawing doesn't seem to be an issue, and we have dust extraction on table saw, radial saw and planer, but certainly sanding presents and issue. In my workplace we manufacture gates and garage doors- these are clad in WRC in various profiles and can be up to 6m x 2.5m so this presents a considerable area to sand; cant just place it on a 2m x 1m workbench with appropriate extraction system in place. Random orbital sander has industrial vac atttachment. I've been trying antihistamines recently as well as barrier creams- minor positive results only. So I now have medical appointments next week and then ....?
Cheers