Possible Wood Allergies

[Michael Koehne]

I haven't been feeling well for the past several months. First, my sense of smell and taste seemed to diminish drastically. My mouth is constantly dry, sometimes with a metallic taste. More recently, I've developed a skin rash with severe itching, over most of my body.

I was talking to a good friend today, and telling him of my symptoms. Our discussion eventually turned to woodworking. I asked about some cedar he had given me months ago, to see if he had more he would sell me. (He has a Woodmizer sawmill and cut much of the lumber for his new log home.) He told me that what he gave me was actually juniper, and that it was a known allergen. I've recently been turning some Western Red Cedar I bought from Home Depot.

Do any of you recognize any of my symptoms and/or had a similar reaction to cedar?

[Bruce Pratt]

Go see your GP.

[Scott DelPorte]

I have resawn lots of WRC without ill effects (with dust collection), but it is considered a potent irritant on this listing of woods and their toxicity.

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

[daryl moses]

I've never turned "Western" Cedar so I can't help you there. I have turned quite a lot of "Eastern" Cedar [the aromatic kind] with no ill effects. Eastern Cedar is actually a Juniper not sure about Western Cedar but I think it is a Juniper as well.
I have been turning a lot of Black Walnut recently though and my sinuses are all messed up. I would venture a guess that different species affect people differently.
I'm not an MD but your symptoms sound too severe to just be a wood allergy. You need to see an MD ASAP.

[Stan Calow]

western cedar is not a juniper.

[Len Mullin]

Nor is true Eastern Cedar here in Canada, it's a species all its own. It doesn't even look similar to a Juniper, and it doesn't loose its greenery in the fall like juniper does. There's no comparison in the wood, eastern cedar is very soft, whereas juniper is a lot harder. If cut into boards, eastern cedar is nice wood to work with, it sands well and it doesn't split when mechanical fasteners are used on it. Juniper on the other hand is not nice to work with, it doesn't sand well and mechanical fasteners always seem to split it.

[daryl moses]

As I said previously..........."Aromatic Cedar" [Juniperus Virginiana] is indeed a Juniper. Also called Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, Virginian Juniper, Eastern Juniper, Red Juniper, Pencil Cedar. It grows from Southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Our Junipers, Aromatic Cedar, Red Cedar or whatever you want to call it doesn't loose it's greenery in the Fall, it retains it's greenery year round. Our Eastern Cedar is hard especially after it has dried and very rot resistant.
I've never heard of a "true Eastern Cedar" I have herd of White Cedar [Thuja Occidontalis] which is a member of the Cypress family. It is not a Juniper and is native to Eastern Canada.

[Jamie Straw]

Go see your GP.
Second the motion -- best to see a doctor! Yes, it could likely be the wood, but some of the symptoms you cite seem pretty drastic.

[robert baccus]

Some woods, mostly tropicals, can kill on exposure. Hemlock and Yewwood can also be very fatal if ingested. Many local species can make you very sick if allergic to that species. Also you mention symptoms that are associated with lyme disease--it has 100-400 symptoms. If not treated with antibiotics rapidly it is incurable--makes life a living hell.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

As I said previously..........."Aromatic Cedar" [Juniperus Virginiana] is indeed a Juniper. Also called Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, Virginian Juniper, Eastern Juniper, Red Juniper, Pencil Cedar. It grows from Southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Our Junipers, Aromatic Cedar, Red Cedar or whatever you want to call it doesn't loose it's greenery in the Fall, it retains it's greenery year round. Our Eastern Cedar is hard especially after it has dried and very rot resistant.
I've never heard of a "true Eastern Cedar" I have herd of White Cedar [Thuja Occidontalis] which is a member of the Cypress family. It is not a Juniper and is native to Eastern Canada.

You are right Daryl, the so-called Eastern Red Cedar is a Juniper and is an evergreen there are more native Junipers, a low growing Creeping Juniper, and a rocky mountain Juniper.

The Eastern White Cedar and the Western Red Cedar are both Thuja genus species.

As for allergic reactions, yes some can have them, but this is not the place to speculate on what his ailments is caused by, he should go see his doctor.

[Chris Fairbanks]

Some of your symptoms sound like an allergy but others seem like something else. As Bruce suggested go see your doctor. While you are waiting to see him try out some Claritin. I am allergic to a few types of exotics like lacewood and Claritin clears me up really quick if I come into contact with it. Good luck.

[Frederick Skelly]

Mike, please go see a doctor ASAP.

[Michael Koehne]

Go see your GP.
Saw him day before yesterday. He seemed stumped. At the time I wasn't aware of the allergenic qualities of cedar. He prescribed saline nose spray, OTC lotion and sugar-free lemon drops. All of which seem to me to be nothing but "band-aids".

[Michael Koehne]

Thank you for the replies. I'm not looking for medical advice. I wouldn't come to a turning forum for that. I was hoping to find some correlation between my symptoms and wood allergies, since turning and sanding produce so much dust. I thought this might be the place for that.

[Reed Gray]

Western Red Cedar and Redwood are both woods that you can become sensitive to, and I have a couple of friends that had to give up turning them. Rule of thumb for me is that the stronger it smells, the more likely it is to be an irritant to you.

robo hippy

[Rob Grindler]

There are a lot of woods that cause allergic reactions ,here is an article and list : http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/
I had an allergic reaction last winter,with the rash and itchy skin,my face swelled up to where I could hardly see.Went to the doctor,went through allergy testing and they could not determine what caused it.I always thought it was from wood,so stayed out of the shop for a month and it all cleared up.But since I have noticed when i work with western cedar and walnut,I get itchy.I now own a Trend Airshield Helmet and a turners smock that covers me right up to my neck.

[Jamie Straw]

Thank you for the replies. I'm not looking for medical advice. I wouldn't come to a turning forum for that. I was hoping to find some correlation between my symptoms and wood allergies, since turning and sanding produce so much dust. I thought this might be the place for that.

The scary thing about allergies is that you can have small reactions, then perhaps more bothersome symptoms, and then -- precipitously -- end up in an ambulance on the way to a hospital, or your grave. I've know a couple of people this has happened to. Allergies, beyond common hay fever, are nothing to mess with. And, of course, it's possible your symptoms are related to some other condition.

[Wes Ramsey]

Any wood dust can cause allergies, especially prolonged exposure over time. I had a sinus infection for about 3 months last year. Don't know if it was triggered by wood dust, but it is certainly a likely suspect. One thing that helped me kick it was a neti pot. I avoided it for a while in spite of many folks telling me it works wonders and it sounds plum awful to pour salt water into one nostril and let it flow out the other. But once I tried it I was hooked. It loosens everything in your sinuses and helps you get it out. I've started using it after doing a lot of sanding and it really helps me not feel so stuffy the next day. Might be worth a try.

[Aaron Craven]

I've turned a fair amount of Easter Cedar (Aromatic Cedar, or whatever you want to call it). I've heard both ways (that it's worse than other woods or that it's no different from other woods) w.r.t. causing reactions. I don't know which is true, but the core advice is the same anyway... you can develop an allergy to literally any type of wood, so you have to be careful about exposure (something turners -- myself included -- are very poor about). Even without allergies, I've found cedar to be a bit dustier than other woods and it tends to give me more trouble than others if I breathe too much of the dust.

I know you're not asking for medical advice, but the symptoms you describe are troubling -- especially the loss of taste -- and should not be ignored. If your GP is stumped, ask for a referral (perhaps to an allergist or a dermatologist since you're getting a rash). If you suspect an allergic reaction, that's at least a place to start. They should be able to do a skin test to determine whether you have an allergy to it.

If you think your symptoms are in some way related to woodwork, by the way, you may also want to consider exposure to the various finishes we tend to use. Some of them contain some pretty nasty solvents.

[Brice Rogers]

Last weekend, I went to a demonstration with Mike Mahoney as the guest turner. He mentioned that he turns a lot of Maple and that he has developed an allergy to it. So, during the demo he was wearing a face mask while he was sanding. The room was very large but you could see the plumes of dust flowing past the lights and also the projection video system. Later that evening I noticed that my sinuses were stuffed up. The next day I did more coughing than normal. I'm contemplating bring a dust mask to the next demo.

Interestingly, Mike mentioned that he is NOT allergic to Coco Bolo, which is very high on the allergy scale. Perhaps it is because he doesn't turn very much with that and just has not YET developed a sensitivity to it.