Problems with sinuses after turning

[Jeff Walters]

I have been turning for about 5 years now and when I turn, i wear a mask or Trend Airsield Pro. Lately, I have experienced serious sinus proplems. Pluggd up and not able to clear out for days. I have tried sinus
rinses and OTC medications but with no help. Has anyone had any of these issues and what have you done about it.

[Tim Boger]

I have been turning for about 5 years now and when I turn, i wear a mask or Trend Airsield Pro. Lately, I have experienced serious sinus proplems. Pluggd up and not able to clear out for days. I have tried sinus
rinses and OTC medications but with no help. Has anyone had any of these issues and what have you done about it.

Sounds to me like you may have a sinus infection, I'd be heading to the Doctor and get some antibiotics.

Tim

[Dennis Cloutier]

I've had similar issues, although when I use my dust collector and wear a mask I have no problem. Like you I didn't have a problem for years, but I gradually built up a sensitivity to the point where if I turn without dust protection I get terribly stuffed up.

Is the mask you are using adequate? Some of the paper masks out there won't remove the finer dust so they really aren't good for much.

Also, what woods are you turning? I find that some species are much worse than others. I can't turn cedar without being stuffed up for days no matter what I do.

I found that spending a pot of money on a good dust collector helped a great deal. Without dust collection the shop and everything in it gets covered and you still end up breathing a fair bit of dust from your clothing etc. even if you do wear a mask while turning.

[charlie knighton]

if you are south it could be just spring.....our Bradford pear are just blooming, grass is greening up......the worst is still to come.......its worse for me when the oak comes out

[Thom Sturgill]

Trend states on their page: Respiratory protection (for reference only) NPF50 to BS EN 12941 THP2. Not NIOSH approved

You would do better with a NIOSH N-95 or better particulate respirator. NPF50 would mean that it only filters 50% of airborne particles.

[Roger Chandler]

Josh Bowman did some testing in a lab on the Trend Airshield Pro and determined that it filtered as good as other top notch PAPR units. Although not niosh rated, it is my understanding that due to the liability issues and such that Trend decided not to use the Niosh ratings in their marketing.

Here is what I do about dust.............know that I have suffered way more than my share of sinus infections over the years, and have had pneumonia 3 times........the last time (2006) almost killed me! So I am much more careful now!!!

I use the Trend Airshield Pro when turning, have an over head air cleaner above & just behind me, and when sanding, I have the dust collector running with the nozzle strapped onto the lathe bed and positioned as close as I can to the piece to suck up what comes off the abrasive. Since using this system, I have not had a single sinus infection, except one time when I was using dirty filters......I now also wet sand a good bit, and that also helps with dust and makes sanding more efficient.

additional: I should add that when I had pneumonia in 2006 and was hospitalized for a month, part of that in intensive care unit, the doctors could not identify why I had gotten the condition. They ended up saying it was probably viral pneumonia, as they could not identify any particular bacteria.........and were aware of my woodworking and looked for specifically things associated with wood among many others. I post this additional because I did not want to leave an impression that might suggest it was wood dust or bacteria from wood that caused it.

[Jeff Walters]

I am turning some spalted maple and also walnut. It has never bothered me before. My dust collector has been down for some time so I moved my Delta air filter next to my lathe. That along with wearing my Trend Airsihield has worked fine for me for some time now. When I wear the mask, it is only for pen turning and it is a mask that dry wallers ware, I am going to see an allergy specialist this week. I am in Michigan and there have been a lot of reports of allergies in the area due to the thaw.

Jeff

[charlie knighton]

walnut is more dangerous than most woods....even spalted woods.....I like turnings done in walnut , but I usually turn walnut wood down......several turners in the area do turn it, so I get a different look just by not turning it

[Sid Matheny]

I almost never use a mask unless I am working with cedar. I think cedar would still get to my sinus if I was wearing a space suite. :(

[robert baccus]

I fought the same thing--always sick with sinuses and tried all the masks ect. Finally installed a 36" fan just behind my lathe (a chain saw makes a good hole) and have no problems now except mimosa. Also pulls out lacquer fumes--I finish on the lathe.

[Harry Robinette]

Check the humidity in you shop I'm in Ohio and right now my sinuses are doing the same the dust in you shop is hanging in the moist air. I use a 1200cfm DC ,a 1400 cfm air cleaner,AND A DUSTMASTER PARP it's the only thing that keeps me breathing.

[Jeff Walters]

I thank everyone for their input. I am in a basement shop that I just built and that is why the DC is not up and running. Never had the problem when i9t was an open shop in the basement and the DC was hooked up so I am going to Woodcraft on Wednesday to get some blast gates and Lowes to get some PVC and couplings and expect to have the system up by end of week so I can give it a try this weekend. I have also ordered a new set of filters for my Trend (that was a chunk of change). I'll let everyone know how things are with the DC running along with everything else.

Jeff

[Ralph Lindberg]

Some thoughts...
Molly Winton (famous for small turnings and pyrography) -NOW- takes extraordinary steps to ensure she breaths neither wood-dust nor wood-smoke. After having a serious, long term sinus infection caused by her breathing both. In her case she had to have surgery to correct.

Dr Sara Robinson (Dr-Spalt, a member of this forum and an expert on Spalting) states that wood fungus spores are not dangerous for the general population as you are breathing them every day, and more so every time you walk in the woods. But wood-dust is dangerous for EVERYONE.

We both have (and wear) Trend Airshields, we also have a Shop-Fox HEPA filter (designed for shop use), an over-head Delta (no longer made) dust-filter/light and a small DC (that is usually connected to the band-saw)

I'm concerned the OP is having issues, with fairly good breathing gear.

[Steve Peterson]

I am turning some spalted maple and also walnut. It has never bothered me before. My dust collector has been down for some time so I moved my Delta air filter next to my lathe. That along with wearing my Trend Airsihield has worked fine for me for some time now. When I wear the mask, it is only for pen turning and it is a mask that dry wallers ware, I am going to see an allergy specialist this week. I am in Michigan and there have been a lot of reports of allergies in the area due to the thaw.

In addition to all the precautions already mentioned, I would stay away from spalted maple and walnut for a while. Give your sinuses a chance to fully clear up before using them again. It may take a bit longer with spring time pollens that are really bad in my area right now.

For me, alder is rough on my sinuses. I try to stay away from walnut and most tropical exotics, no matter how nice they look.

Steve

[robert baccus]

Avoid sleeping wit the enemy--get the stuff out of the shop entirely.

[Thom Sturgill]

Avoid sleeping wit the enemy--get the stuff out of the shop entirely.

Agreed. I am having the house central AC replaced Friday and intend to grab the air-handler and make a shop air cleaner out of it. Dust that hangs in the air settles on everything and gets stirred up just walking through the shop. The really fine stuff is the most dangerous. It used to be common practice to put the air cleaner such that it blows onto your work station but recent tests with monitors have apparently shown this to be a bad idea. Run it on a timer AFTER you leave the shop.

[Steve Huffman]

When I first started turning, I would wake up the next day with sinus troubles. I know for a fact it was related to the shop the previous day as I could see the pattern. I have since taken better precautions with face masks, respirators and ventilation and don't have anymore troubles.

[Jeff Walters]

HI All,

I want to again thank everyone for their input. I did finally get all the ductwork in and hooked up to the dust collector and what a difference. I turned for about 4 hours on Sunday, wearing my Trend AirShield Pro and having both the dust collector on and the Air filter on and had no issue afterwards. I didn't turn any spalted woods, just some maple, camphor and Russian Olive Wood. It felt good to be able to get back into the shop and work. Now I got to get caught up on projects.

I am waiting for new filters to come in for my Trend (Man are they expensive) but I will not turn without it.

Again, Thanks,
Jeff Walters