Wood Dust - Info from the CDC

[Adam Slutsky]

With all the competing interests out there, I thought some might find the following information from the CDC useful:

Thank you for your inquiry to CDC-INFO. In response to your request for information on exposure to wood dust, we are pleased to provide you with the following relevant information.

Wood dust is defined as any wood particles arising from the processing or handling of woods.

Exposure to wood dust has long been associated with a variety of adverse health effects, including dermatitis, allergic respiratory effects, mucosal and nonallergic respiratory effects, and cancer.

A list of Hazard Controls-including Hazard Controls for control of wood dust from orbital hand sanders, horizontal belt sanders, shapers, automated routers random orbital hand sanders and from table saws- can be found on the NIOSH website:

Hazard Controls
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pubs/hc_date_desc_nopubnumbers.html (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pubs/hc_date_desc_nopubnumbers.html)

Information about recommendations and exposure levels as well as recommendations for respirator use can be found in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards:

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Wood Dust
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0667.html (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0667.html)

You may also want to search the NIOSH database, NIOSHTIC-2 for publications related to wood dust. NIOSHTIC-2 is a searchable bibliographic database of publications and other documents that were either written or funded by NIOSH. It is available on the NIOSH website at:

Search for NIOSH Publications: NIOSHTIC-2
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
http://www2a.cdc.gov/nioshtic-2/ (http://www2a.cdc.gov/nioshtic-2/)

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Guide for Protecting Workers from Woodworking Hazards has helpful information about many woodworking hazards, including exposure to wood dust:

A Guide for Protecting Workers from Woodworking Hazards
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3157.pdf (http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3157.pdf)

You may also be interested in the following NIOSH/OSHA/US Department of Energy (DOE) Health Guidelines on the OSHA website:

Wood Dust, All Soft and Hardwoods Except Western Red Cedar
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/wooddustallsoftandhardwoodsexceptwesternredcedar/index.html (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/wooddustallsoftandhardwoodsexceptwesternredcedar/index.html)

Wood Dust, Western Red Cedar
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/wooddustwesternredcedar/index.html (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/wooddustwesternredcedar/index.html)

The following page on the OSHA website has links to industry specific pages for information about exposure to wood dust:

Hazard Recognition: Wood Dust
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/wooddust/recognition.html (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/wooddust/recognition.html)

You may also be interested in the following document from the National Toxicology Program:

Wood Dust
Report on Carcinogens
The National Toxicology Program
http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s189wood.pdf (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/profiles/s189wood.pdf)

Information about recommendations and exposure levels as well as recommendations for respirator use can be found in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards:

NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Wood Dust
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0667.html (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0667.html)

For more information about occupational safety and health, please visit the CDC website:

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/)

Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO Contact Center. Please do not hesitate to call 1-800-CDC-INFO, e-mail cdcinfo@cdc.gov or visit http://www.cdc.gov (http://www.cdc.gov/) if you have any additional questions.

CDC-INFO is a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). This service is provided by Vangent, Inc. under contract to CDC and ATSDR.

[Joe Chritz]

Trust us we are from the government.

Serious though, there is some good info in there but most governement standards are really minimums ( or maximums in this case) and take into consideration "acceptable risk" and things of that nature.

Its all about minimizing your risk.

Joe

[Charles Wilson]

On a side note:

I remember before I had children I used to fish A LOT. Well, one morning I was fishing a local river for trout and needed to use the bathroom. I walked over to a particle board manufacturing plant that was near the river to ask if I could use there bathroom.

Too make a long story short, as I walked into the plant and was SHOCKED at the amount of dust in the air (like a fog). Horrid working conditions. All I was thinking to myself was, "That can't be good for you" as I retreated to the safety of the porta-potty outside. :)

Seriously though, dust collection is one of my utmost concerns.

Chuck