How bad is dust? in laymans terms.....

[Jim Matthews]

A bit more information. In addition to the dust masks recommended in other posts, you should do a few more things if that is your work area. First and easiest, close the door on the circuit breaker panel to keep the dust out of the breakers. Then get a cover for that double receptacle to the right in the photo. Having exposed outlets is a potential shock hazard. Finally, sawdust on a concrete floor can be very slippery, buy a broom and use it frequently.

+1 on your bringing your electrical supply up to code.
A sawdust explosion will get you dead faster than breathing the stuff.

FYI - I moved my power tools to the garage, where I can both open the doors and run my DC for the few minutes electrons do my heavy lifting.
Everything else I do by hand, in my little basement shop (which looks a lot like yours). That way, fine dust is not suspended inside the house.

One last thing - If you're working near a forced air heating and cooling system, you're circulating dust through the house.

[Ole Anderson]

+1 on your bringing your electrical supply up to code.
A sawdust explosion will get you dead faster than breathing the stuff..

I bet it would, but I never heard of a sawdust explosion in a home shop. Do you have any references? Other than, of course, the mythical dust collector explosion from static buildup in an ungrounded PVC dust collection system.

However if you Google dust explosion, you will get plenty of hits including the Mythbusters. Interesting reading.

[David Hostetler]

Wood dust, like any other allergen, can cause a wide variety of reactions depending on the individual. Some people for example get sore when a bee stings them, but that's about it, others go into anafalactic shock (I probably misspelled that) and can die from a simple bee sting...

So to answer your question, any allergen can be minor, or it can kill you. It all depends on your level of sensitivity.

While I personally have a great deal of allergies to many things, wood dust doesn't bother me, yet... But like any allergen, you can become sensitized to it.

Besides the dangers from the dust itself, there often are other agents in the wood dust I am more concerned with, fungi from spalted wood, various pressure treating agents which are often poisonous, certain woods which are known to be dangerous to just about everybody etc... And certain woods, Walnut springs to mind, tends to cause far more people to react than others like Oak or Poplar.

It is best to collect and control your wood dust the best you can. You don't need to spend a ton of money to do this, but it is far from free...

As a minimum, a cheap dust collector like the Harbor Freight 2HP unit, fitted with a 1 micron filter. Pleated is better because they flow better due to more surface area, should be in place. Buying new, a Harbor Freight 2HP collector, and a Wynn 35A spun bond filter should run you about $325.00 + tax...

Keep your runs of flex hose as short as possible while doing what you need to do. I have seen guys use 1' jumpers of flex hose to make turns and go straight into a short piece of S&D pipe straight to the collector.

A baffle or separator (google Thien Cyclone) will help your dust collector keep flowing longer.

An ambient air filter, those boxes you see people mount to their ceilings is priceless... You can buy one, or build one. You will need a squirrel cage fan, wiring components, plywood, and some Filtrete Ultra Allergen filters if you want to build one...

Google Bill Pentz and read his writings on dust collection and health impacts. A word of warning. Bill is an engineer, and he writes like one. Reading his stuff can be overwhelming technically, and I am a senior UNIX admin that works with engineers all day long! Take his stuff a page at a time if you have to, and ask questions.

This is a subject that is better understood and handled properly before a problem takes place.

I know there is issues with it, and I'm working on controlling it in my shop.

But whats the deal with sawdust?
Any one here have documented long term or permanent ill effects?

Any over exposure to sanding dust sets me up with a runny nose for about 2 days (I'm 32) and I do allot of sniffling and sneezing along with it.


Thanks...

[Greg Portland]

The woods that cause allergic reactions will build up in your body. You'll be fine for 10 years and then -poof- you can't touch the stuff.

[Michael W. Clark]

I bet it would, but I never heard of a sawdust explosion in a home shop. Do you have any references? Other than, of course, the mythical dust collector explosion from static buildup in an ungrounded PVC dust collection system.

However if you Google dust explosion, you will get plenty of hits including the Mythbusters. Interesting reading.

Ole, you are probably right about the home workshop and the particular scenario being discussed. What I have been told is that the concentration of small dust particles has to be so dense, that you can only see a few feet into the cloud. Obviously, this concentration varies depending on the dust. A dust explosion is not as likely in a homeshop, but I would think that the exposed outlets and open panel are not helping reduce the fire hazzard in any way.

However, dust explosions do happen in industrial settings and even the smallest collector systems have code requirements. Woodworking even has its own combustible dust code. As far as static charge providing the ignition, it seems to get blamed when no other ignition source can be identified. Code requires that ducts be made of conductive material and bonded together, then grounded. I'm not aware of any instances where these codes are enforced on home shops, but I'm not aware of any language that prevents it either. I'm more familiar with the equipment and system requirements rather than enforcement. We often have to design our cyclones to meet NFPA requirements, either through venting or to withstand the pressure generated during the explosion.

Mike

[Jim Matthews]

Honestly, are you suggesting that a home shop should have both suspended dust and open outlets in the same room?

Anyone that doesn't think this is a genuine risk should probably update their insurance coverage.
An open outlet isn't a source of static electricity - it's generating heat as it conducts current.

I've dealt with three electrical fires, one in a hospital setting and two in homes - all had exposed outlets that ignited dust to initiate combustion.

Inferring to a newbie that it's inconsequential borders on irresponsible.

[Michael W. Clark]

I've dealt with three electrical fires, one in a hospital setting and two in homes - all had exposed outlets that ignited dust to initiate combustion.

I don't think anyone is intending to downplay the risk of a dust fire. However, there is a HUGE difference between a dust fire and dust explosion. One could certainly make a valid argument that the risk of a dust explosion is nearly inexistant in a home shop.

Mike

[michael osadchuk]

I don't think anyone is intending to downplay the risk of a dust fire. However, there is a HUGE difference between a dust fire and dust explosion. One could certainly make a valid argument that the risk of a dust explosion is nearly inexistant in a home shop.

Mike

Ditto your comment about the difference between a dust fire and a dust explosion within the ducting of dust collection system.

The risk of a dust explosion in dc ducting in a home workshop was extensively discussed of woodworking forums several years ago because of cited dust explosions in large scale commercial woodworking shops. No one was able to report an instance of this happening in a home workshop dc system.

michael

[Greg Peterson]

An open outlet isn't a source of static electricity - it's generating heat as it conducts current.

An open outlet presents a potential current based on the rating of the outlet and size of conductor connected to the outlet. An open outlet will be room temperature. Current only flows through the outlet when a closed circuit is engaged with the outlet.

Otherwise, the outlet is nothing more than a power source of a defined potential.

If an unused outlet is warm or hot to the touch, something unusual is occurring and needs to be investigated.

[marty shultz]

I'm allergic to wood. I started working with wood long before bill pens made it known about the long term affects of fine wood dust. Over the last few years I've learned a lot and installed a dust collection system. Sometimes I wear a dust mask too. I have to admit that I'm a bit lazy about it though. However, when I'm diligent about following the rules I dont feel any effects from the dust. When I'm lazy I get the sneezy, runny nose.....

I think a good mask is the best and cheapest solution. I like the 3m masks with replaceable filters from amazon.

[John Fabre]

A friend's dad past away from wood dust, he didn't believe in dust collection or masks. Smoking isn't the only cause of lung cancer.

[ian maybury]

One issue on wood dust is that while anecdotal evidence (the bits you hear about) suggest that a very high proportion of lifetime woodworkers probably develop health issues of one sort or another, there's very little research been done or at least very little data published in a form that's very practically informative.

You see the scare stories about the incidence of cancer, but it's quite low and relatively easy to dismiss as being a low risk.

My impression is that there's one heck of a lot of people suffering with lower level less serious but much more chronic conditions - that's judging by the numbers of croaky breathless voices you tend to encounter in older woodworkers....

ian