Air Quality Monitor?

[Frank Pratt]

I have the cheap one as well. I think I paid about $40 for it on Aliexpress. I too use it as a relative indication of air quality. Ironically, my shop has cleaner air than anywhere in the house, even when doing most woodworking operations. Hand sanding is probably the worst exception to this.

[Leigh Betsch]

Zactly what I do

[Bryan Hall]

I considered a dylos and found this information to be valuable and objective.

Interesting article but that doc claiming that air filtration is for comfort and aesthetics, not for health... yeah I'm not buying that. Especially since he flat out says that he doesn't have any references for his claim.

[Alan Lightstone]

With the data everyones getting, does anyone know what levels are actually hazardous? I watched/read this article from Jays Custom Creations: https://jayscustomcreations.com/2017...quality-meter/ and he's citing air quality by his house at 638/105 small/large particles. Anyone know what levels in the shop are trigger points for pop on a respirator or leave?

My threshold is pretty simple. My ambient readings are usually about 500 small particles on the Dylos. I usually just look at that number. When my workshop readings are higher than ambient on the Dylos, I wear my 3M P100 respirator.

Fortunately with my 3 air cleaners, I can usually get readings down to ambient in just a few minutes. And now, with the Grit Automation system, I don't even have to remember to turn them on. They turn on when specified tools are used, and turn off when the air quality is below the levels I set. So running pretty automatically around here. Once I noticed that my readings were higher than normal when I used my wide-belt sander. After taking off some raised floor tiles, I found that my DC duct had partially separated. Fixed that, and wow did the readings get better.

I remember being fascinated by Scott's predicament, as wood stoves are not a thing down here.

I also find AQI readings pretty worthless. The only time I take note is actually not in my workshop but in my den. If the readings spike, I've found it's usually a Saharan dust cloud that has travelled over the Atlantic and settled on Florida. Who knew?

[Ben Ellenberger]

Here’s the full EPA assessment of current research on health effects of PM: https://ordspub.epa.gov/ords/eims/ei...load_id=539935

Here’s the 2-page summary: https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P1001EX6.txt

Short story: the main concern with PM exposure is the very small particles less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). People with heart and lung disease are at particular risk. For cancer, they only describe PM exposure as “likely to be causal” - and that is for all PM2.5, not specifically wood dust.

So my understanding (and I’m not a doctor!) is that the main concern with PM is related to heart disease, and especially making pre-existing heart disease worse.

[Mark Hennebury]

A few facts for consideration;

I have worked in a very dusty environment since 1970
I earned a living at woodworking.
I worked long hours often six days a week.
I used many different woods; Red Oak, White Oak, Hard Maple, Soft Maple. Spalted Maple, Birch, Walnut, Ash, Beech, Pine, Western Red Cedar, Spruce,Yellow Cedar, Douglas Fir, Polar, Cherry, Mahogany, Imbuia, Koa, Rosewood, Zebrawood, Purpleheart, Teak, Padauk, Ekki, Apple, Balsa, Bubinga, Butternut, Lignum Vitae, Elm, Goncalo Alves, Hemlock, Lacewood, Lauan and probably a few more.
I have routed and sawn tons of MDF, Plywood, Particle board, melamine, solid surface counter tops etc. I worked for two years sanding and grinding fiber -glass in a boat building shop, with no dust extraction system at all. I have done painting and body work on dozens of machines, grinding and sanding body filler and paint. I also have used a load of metal grinders from pencil grinders, die grinders, bench grinders, to massive 2500lb tool and cutter grinders, straight knife grinders and surface grinders.

Never had anything more than a cheap dust collector and hose to drag around and attach to a machine occasionally.
Most operation were done with no dust collection at all.
Everything was always covered with dust and the was always dust in the air.
The photo shows a normal day in my shop.
I wore a disposable dust mask, ear plugs and goggles.
Shop clean-up consisted of sweeping up shavings and dust on the floor and opening the doors and blowing all of the dust out with a air hose.

About five years ago I got my lungs tested, a full workup.
The results' my lungs were perfectly fine, no issues at all!


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[Bryan Hall]

Alan, that Grit system sounds pretty slick. I've known of automated dust collectors for a while but I don't know why I never considered looking into automated air filtration. I normally just hit go on mine and let it run all day unless I'm hand tooling. It would be nice to have auto-off for noise.

[Bryan Hall]

Mark that's great to hear that if we're making the effort of some sort it really pays off in the long run! Sounds like you've had about as much exposure as anyone and are coming out the other end in great shape!

[Ben Ellenberger]

I was surprised when I started reading about health impacts. PM is not strongly associated with lung problems. The EPA characterizes it as “likely to be causal” of impacts, but mostly just exacerbating pre-existing health issues. So, if you are otherwise healthy, it seems like people’s lungs can handle PM.

The effects they most strongly associate with PM exposure are heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. And, as with all sorts of pollution exposure, some people can be fine being exposed to for years, and some people have much stronger reactions, even to short term exposure.

[Alan Lightstone]

The highest AQI I saw near Kailua-Kona was 301 today.

Anyone want to breathe that air?

Fortunately better for now near the city itself, but Vog must be on its way. Ouch.