Extracting/minimising metal dust in the workshop for better health
In another thread Old Croc raised metal dust as a health issue...
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f127/...49#post2250615
I've done a quick search in this forum to see if that topic has been already covered here, but couldn't find anything other than passing mentions of it.
It has been covered more thoroughly in our cousin forums, the Dust Extraction and Metalwork forums, but some in this forum may not visit those. So, it would be good to have something on it here in this Sharpening forum, thus this separate thread.
We are all aware of the metal dust that we generate when high speed grinding our metal tools (and other metal things). We can see the metal debris collecting around our grinders and the black snot on white tissues after a grinding session. However, we may not be so aware of the very fine metal dust that penetrates deep into our lungs. I became concerned about breathing in the fine airborne metal dust that I was creating and increasingly so as the number of exotic steels grew in my tool rack.
I understand that there are three risks from breathing in that fine metal dust. The first is the metal that accumulates deep in the lungs with repeated exposures. It is an identified occupational health risk called hard metal lung disease (HMLD fibrosis). Once it is there it's there for your duration!
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/occupational-lung-diseases
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6310083/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102237/
The second concern for me are some of the alloy additives to High Speed Steels: these include cobalt, chromium, tungsten, manganese, molybdenum and vanadium. Some of these additives in some of their forms are known carcinogens.
The third concern is that these elements can find their way via our lungs and digestive systems into our bloodstream and organs and are toxic to us.
For example, here is a list of the key risks in relation to Chromium (VI) from the CDC. Grinding HSS that contains Chromium is known to release Hexavalent Chromium.
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/chromium/physiologic_effects_of_chromium_exposure.html#key_points
Effects of Cobalt on the human body.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637398/
Tungsten
https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/29500
Similar concerns have been shown for Vanadium.
There is also evidence that some of these interact in the human body and are more damaging in combination.
For the purposes of this thread the above references are indicative of the risks and are well beyond my (and probably our collective) expertise to analyse in any detail. But, like the known risks for asbestos and silica, I just accept the advice and try to avoid exposure to them.
The exact exposure threshold levels required to cause metal dust health risks will vary from person to person. There are published maximum exposure levels but few of us have the means to measure for those, so I'm inclined to not gamble on being the one who will avoid the risks at even the lowest levels of exposure.
My next post will be on some of the approaches to extracting/minimising/avoiding metal dust in the workshop.