Toxic woods?

[dalemcginnis]

I posted this in the FAQ topic but I think it is important enough that I don't want to wait until an FAQ is created for it.
As a new turner I never thought about it. A friend gave me some Cocobolo and told me to wear a respirator as the dust is toxic. I just received a shipment of more of it I bought and there was no mention of it. I've also seen it at my local Rockler, again with no mention of the dust. Got me thinking, how many other woods am I turning that have toxic dust?
So, is there a simple list of woods and their toxicity? I know there is a link here to databases on woods, but honestly I don't care to click on the link for each wood and scroll through it to find the toxicity. Does anyone know of a simple list of the woods and their toxicity?

 

[woodwish]

Not sure how you can define toxic, but the problem appears to be sensitivity. I turned cocobola several times with no problems, then turned some Brazilian Rosewood and had a horrible skin reaction. Got rid of it and turned some more of the same cocobola with the same skin reactions due to the sensitivity from exposure. I have also turned or worked with hard maple for years and lately have had some issues with it but not nearly as bad, yet. All woods can cause reactions, but I agree that some are worse than others to most people. Not sure I have a solution, but before the government steps in I hope all of us can just be aware of what we are working with.

 

[bkc]

I know of no simple list. So I just treat each wood as being toxic, which it will be to your lungs with the dust you inhale. Use a respirator no matter if you're just going to sand a little or a lot.

 

[barryu]

Take a look at this. It'll scare the eebee-geebees out of you.

http://www.gvwg.ca/docs/Articles/WoodToxicity.htm

The bottom line is just wear a mask and enjoy the craft.

 

[TBone]

Wood dust is dangerous and we should take precautions. We worry about the stuff we can see and that does cause problems, but the real killer is the stuff we can't see. I've read that once you have a reaction then you are more susceptible to reactions from woods that weren't a problem before. This seems to be what woodwish experienced.

If you really want to get nervous, spend some time reading this site http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/DocsOrders.cfm#MedicalRisks There is also some good information about dust collection there. But I'll warn you, it will take a looong time to read it all.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Coco can be real bad news for some folks. There are numerous toxic wood lists around, but, generally, if it comes from a tropical climate, be very cautious. Treat it like a gun, assume it is loaded.

 

[dalemcginnis]

Originally posted by barryu
<br />Take a look at this. It'll scare the eebee-geebees out of you.

http://www.gvwg.ca/docs/Articles/WoodToxicity.htm

The bottom line is just wear a mask and enjoy the craft.

Thanks, That's the info I was looking for.[] Looks like I'll be wearing my gas mask a lot more.

 

[Ron in Drums PA]

All wood dust is toxic, some more so than others.

http://old.mendelu.cz/~horacek/toxic.htm

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis30.pdf

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/10thrc.htm

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/wooddust/

 

[Fred]

Being toxic is but one of the problems. If one is allergic to something, wood, chemicals, etc. that is nothing compared to becoming sensitized to them. Allergic = time to get well. Sensitized = worse reaction each and every time you are exposed. Getting well is a long term thing.

Bottom line is, if you don't react to it you are lucky as can be. If you do react to it be EXTREMELY CAREFUL if you continue to use it.

Read the links above given by Ron in Drums. You will see that all wood can be reactive to many of us, some just worse than others. Again, Be careful. Dust control is most important around many woods (most all of them!) Wear long sleeved shirts and blow off then wash off the dust and shavings very well. Do a Google search for wood toxicity and read about continuing the exposures. You will be quite careful afterwards!

This stuff can - and in many, many cases - will ruin your health for a long time. Often folks never do/can recover completely. Dust control is a major issue in a wood shop and should be number one in safety issues!!! []

 

[raltenhofen]

When I got into woodworking (and suffered a huge allergic reaction that I am still paying for) I researched the topic of toxic woods quite a bit. I concluded that there was no way to avoid "toxic" woods and still be a woodworker.

IMHO The only solution to the toxicity of wood is to avoid breathing the dust. That's when I installed a dust-collection system. I wear a mask, too.

For those woods like Coobolo, I use a product called Glove in a Bottle.

(The "see" key on my keyboard decided to stop working!)