Allergenic woods?

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Being exposed to those classified as "Sensitizers" will slowly (or quickly) do their job, and previously "OK" woods will become problematic. Both skin exposure as well as airborne exposure need to be considered.

Dust collection, air filters, long sleeve turning jackets (properly fitted for safety at the lathe) are beneficial, but ultimately, choices of woods to use will need to be made.

I say this with a 4 year battle to control rashes. I'm doing well, but am also very careful.

The charts referenced above I use all the time - excellent reference.
 
Mark, what woods do you presently have problems with skin rashes , besides cocobolo ? It seems that I am having more problems........the older I get !!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::doctor:
 
Couple of my favorites from the database:

Mulga (skull symbol):bulgy-eyes::eek:- irritant, headache, nausea, wood contains a virulent poisonous principle used for spear heads by aboriginals

Oleander (Nerium oleander):eek:- irritant, nearly every part of the plant is toxic, cardiac effects
 
wood128 said:
Mark, what woods do you presently have problems with skin rashes , besides cocobolo ? It seems that I am having more problems........the older I get !!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::doctor:
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Hi Joe: All in the Rosewood family; spalted woods; and Bloodwood. I also use Padauk with extreme caution and seem to be fine.

I have had severe allergies all my life to most things on Earth, so this was no surprise to me.

I also have bad reactions to Urethanes, so when I vent my pressure pot I vent it through a hose that goes outside of my garage wall (my venting solution). And I use gloves if I use any Urethanes as a pen finish (which is my preferred finish).
 
Just spent 9 days in misery due to just plain old dust on the shop. I use a dust mask and vacuum to sand or turn. I figure that there was some residual dust in the air that caused my asthma and allergies to flare up. I went back and put together a system that the wife saw in HGTV- box fan with a furnace filter and bungee cord. I have done this in the past and it works! Will turn on the fan anytime I'm making sawdust.
So......any wood can cause problems. And a person's immune system can change. I never had problems until I was 22. A friend developed asthma in his early 40s.
 
A good way to test is to take a small pinch of saw dust from the wood in question, wet it and put under a bandaid on you arm. Look for redness after several hours.

I am allergic to Moradillo (Bolivian Rosewood) I get a rash like poison ivy. Thuya Burl will give me 3 days of sinus problems including severe headaches.


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As much as I like to use Mesquite, it causes my sinuses to act up every time I use it! Now I find myself using a powered respirator more often, usually with good (no reaction) results.
 
Unfortunately, I love good cocobolo and was segmenting with it recently.... but I put it down as the rashes and itching became intolerable and started working with she-bull oak, a beautiful offering from George's bits of timber... but the symptoms returned... I am not sure whether it is left over cocobolo dust or the new oak.... so I guess I was wondering what other people are experiencing and ...wow ...what we do for our hobby!!!


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Gwatson50 said:
Unfortunately, I love good cocobolo and was segmenting with it recently.... but I put it down as the rashes and itching became intolerable and started working with she-bull oak, a beautiful offering from George's bits of timber... but the symptoms returned... I am not sure whether it is left over cocobolo dust or the new oak.... so I guess I was wondering what other people are experiencing and ...wow ...what we do for our hobby!!!


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Just nitpicking since I understand the dilemma:

- Did you totally clean and sweep up all materials/dust from the Cocobolo - AND get it out of the shop? And sadly I will include sweeping the walls, floor, baseboards, rafters, etc - a general sweep will suffice, but do not ignore.
- If you were using any air filters, did you change them after removing the Cocobolo materials?
- If using any kind of dust collection system, consider emptying the canister.

My basic point is that after being sensitized, recirculating airborne materials may be enough for another reaction through skin contact or airway. When I am using a suspicious material, I will use a full respirator.
 
I'll admit to being lackadaisical about this. But the reactions are frequent and bothersome enough now that I will take it much more seriously... I think the dust may have also triggered an infection in my lungs!!


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Gwatson50 said:
I'll admit to being lackadaisical about this. But the reactions are frequent and bothersome enough now that I will take it much more seriously... I think the dust may have also triggered an infection in my lungs!!


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Yes, care is needed. I have mostly topical skin reactions - very well controlled now after 4 years. But I have read/been told that once sensitized, every exposure will strengthen the reaction. From what I have learned, it can be controlled by care, but WILL NOT go away. Usually with common materials, I just use an overhead air filter (Jet), a 1 1/2 HR cyclone dust filter (Jet), and a window fan pulling air out of the room to the outside. I wear a face shield 75% of the time, and a respirator 1/4 of the time when sanding or using a router/slitting bit which is very messy/dusty.

I will say that with all these precautions, my allergies have gotten 99% better. I have turned one single Cocobolo blank (that was too purty to pass on) while wearing my Darth Vader Equipment.

Also, I prefer Wipe on Polyurethane finishes (6-8 coats) and I use gloves for each application. We suspect my initial sensitizing was to Alumilite (a Urethane).
 
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