Exotic Wood Allergies

[Jerry Murray]

I spent last evening in the emergency room at our local hospital.

I have been working on sanding some Bolivian Rosewood and other exotics, Wenge, Kingwood, zebrawood and a few others.

Anyway I had some job related issues and left me current and will start with another company on Monday. So on Thursday I notice a small itchy spot directly center chest. By Thursday evening this spot has spread to about a 4" area. I was thinking that it might be hives from the nervousness of a job change...although I have never had hives before.

Friday morning it had spread to my throat. Fri pm my throat looked like I had 10 double chins. Yesterday it went to my neck and all over my chest and I was having some problems breathing.

I took some benadryl and use some cortisone cream but this sis nothing.

I went to the ER last evening and they gave me an injection of steroids and the official diagnosis is a severe allergic reaction. For the life of me I didn't connect the dots, but the reactions are i the very same spots where dust from the exotics collect. Although I use a mask and have a filtered fan along with my DC sucking up dust, I sand in a t-shirt as my work area gets hot.

So it looks like I'll have to use some sort of a Hazmat suit befgore I contine with this.

Where can I get some of those disposable Hazmat suits?

[Howard Acheson]

Get a copy of the just issued Fine Woodworking Magazine (July-August). It has an article on "Wood Allergies". The article should answer most of your questions.

One thing to keep in mind is that in many cases, reactions get progressively worse with subsequent exposures. Ultimately they may become life threatening.

[David DeCristoforo]

It's not just "exotics". Some people are allergic to walnut, some to oak. I cannot get within a hundred miles of any kind of cedar. It varies for person to person. Glad you're OK. Those things can be scary!

[Matt Armstrong]

I actually am somewhat intolerant of pine, but allergies are real. What exotic wood do you think did you in?

[Ed Sallee]

On the other hand..... I get all nervous and sweating when I don't have any exotics......:eek:

Glad you're doing better - I hope you can find some woods that work well with you.

[harry strasil]

you can probably do your own allergy test by taking a tiny scrapping of each of the woods, put it on a piece of adhesive tape and tape it to your arm, labeling each one, after several hours remove the tape and check which one you get a reaction too. Just so you'll know. its usually the oils that cause the reaction like poision ivy/oak.

sounds like you need a good down draft table.

[Jerry Murray]

I just bought a Tyvek protective suit and a 3M cartridge mask with filters. So I guess that I'll look like amoon man when I'm in the shop :D

[Judy Kingery]

Jerry,

Allergic reactions certainly can be all the way from annoying to life-threatening; so glad you got it taken care of and identified the cause right away.

I'm with David, severely allergic to cedar. Unfortunate as I like the look, the way it cuts, and the lingering odor in the shop. Similar to you, I've tried to cut it twice, with a respirator, dust collector and shop filter. Immediately upon finishing, came in, clothes in the washer and jumped in the shower - no respiratory problems, but the splotches on my hands, arms, told me the second time, really, it's simply not a wood I'll touch again.

There are plenty of other woods that pose no problem for me, so while I hope you can turn any exotic you like, if you do have to narrow it down to specific wood(s) and avoid the such, at least there are many other woods available.

Best to you,

Jude

[Robert Parrish]

I just started working with Cocobolo and noticed that it makes me itch and sneeze more than most woods. I have a severe allergy to white oak that I developed from building a boat over a 2 year period. I occasionally stir up some old dust in the shop and it gets me.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd bet the culprit is the Morado (Bolivian Rosewood). We use it from tome to time at work, and they use it in the flooring department. It gives some people some pretty bad reactions, and others get away with headaches and nausea. It doesn't bother me so much, but something in it gives a fair number of people a fairly nasty reaction. Glad to hear you caught it and are OK.

Speaking of cedar, I spent the morning re-sawing the butt ends of a recent pergola job into boards I can use to make my wife a table for the deck. Maybe 20 pieces of 4X6 and 6X8 in the 20" to 30" range, re-sawn into 12/4, 8/4, 6/4 and 4/4. All western red cedar heart wood. If I don't wear a dust mask with cedar I'll be weazing for days from almost minimal exposure, but no topical issues thankfully. Man, does my shop smell like a gerbil cage presently!

[Jim Becker]

Yea, as much as I love the look of bubinga, my body cannot tolerate it.

[Frank Trinkle]

While I don't have allergies that I know of... I haven't taken the chance on my lungs, so I bought the following downdraft table from Grizzly and have been VERY VERY pleased with the reduction of sanding dust. There are other models at Grizzly too, and some cheaper, but this one really did the trick for me....

http://grizzly.com/products/23-x-31-Vacuum-Sanding-Table/H2935

[Loren Hedahl]

I saw the respiratory problems beginning to develop every time I did much wood working, no matter what kind of wood I used. I was never able to dust proof my old contractor saw, circular saw, sanders, etc. I considered building a new building for my shop all set up with sufficient dust control but the recurring costs in addition to the initial cost just didn't compute!

My present solution was to get rid of as much of my dust producing equipment as practical and replace it with equipment with good dust pickup built-in. Then I put up a temporary shelter outside and do almost all my woodworking in good weather outside. I haven't noticed a problem since.

It would be nice to have a proper facility for winter time use, but we take a couple of long trips in our RV to southern climes each winter instead.

[Tom Walz]

wood allergens

http://www.carbideprocessors.com/wood-allergens.htm

[Jim Myers]

I wear a dust mask when I and working as I have Asthma already but last year I had a pretty bad reaction to Leppardwood so I stopped using that.

This weekend I turned a Sierra out of lignum vitae and I am noticing the Poison Ivy like dots on my hands.

I guess if I turn the oily woods I will have to make sure to wear gloves and a long sleve smock.

[Richard Chan]

Did you get a scrip for eppie pen? You really should, with that severe allergy reaction you need something besides benedryl.

[Jerry Murray]

Did you get a scrip for eppie pen? You really should, with that severe allergy reaction you need something besides benedryl.

I didn't think to ask.

[Jim Becker]

Keep in mind that sensitivities are not just respiratory...that bubinga I mentioned in my previous post also irritated the heck out of my skin.

[Ken Platt]

I have trouble with cedar also, at least with the eastern red cedar we have in abundance around here.

Here's a cheapish body suit, I have one and like it:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20046&cat=1,42207

Ken

[Jerry Murray]

I have trouble with cedar also, at least with the eastern red cedar we have in abundance around here.

Here's a cheapish body suit, I have one and like it:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20046&cat=1,42207

Ken


Ken,

That suit is the same type that I bought and I also picked uip one of these 3M respirators with the pink asbestos quality filters

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BR6XR6/ref=ox_ya_oh_product


Here's the suit

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008F4HNS/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

You know for $5-6 that's not a bad deal if I can keep the dust off of my skin.