Dust and Being Sick?

I don't know what I had but I was sick for well over a week. After a long delay I went into the shop again today and got busy. I sanded and cut some Myrtle and I don't know if its because I was sick or what but I feel like crap again. Maybe I was not over it but dang man ,nose all clogged up again and slight headache. I have had other woods bother me but never Myrtle. I am hoping it will pass quick because I am dying to get back to work. Cabin fever is killing me. Got the shop all cleaned up and looking great but dying to make a mess again as soon as I get rid of this. Anyone ever had wood give you cold like symptoms?

Forced shop leave stinks.
I get the same symptoms with walnut, so I stopped turning walnut.
Time for a respirator?
Some of the half face units are pretty easy to wear.
For the really high dust projects I have Trend Airshield full helmet with on board filtration.
Spendy, but my lungs tell me it's worth it.

I can identify honduran mahogany by a headache and runny nose for two days. It doesn't happen with any other species of mahogany. Spraying lacquer gives me flu like symptoms.

The oily woods like Cocobola, rosewoods and many exotic woods will give you problems and sometimes even the regular woods start to creep up on you. Keep the bad wood dust off of your skin at all times, use a mask and good air filtration systems. Cocobola is one wood I don't even touch without gloves. Watch out for super glues also, extremely irritating to the eyes and lungs, do not breath the stuff, ever.

yeah, kind of. With irritated sinuses for days, but with walnut. I'm pretty sure I saw it take down a friend last fall, he came up to work with me for a few days and camped on on a cot in my shop, over the course of a few days he said that he was getting sick, with the late nights working I was afraid I was going to get sick as well, he seemed to get better as he was finishing his projects and got better when he left, I never got sick nor did my family.

It's something my dad has preached about for years, woods with toxicity and accumulated alergies. He is an advocate for dust collection, filtration, and wearing a respirator. I'll admit that I have only recently taken this seriously, partialy because of my friend last fall. My dad tells a story about a friend of his that worked wood as a hobby for most of his life, he wanted to retire to a life of woodworking, but found that as he aged he had developed serious alergies to many woods and could no longer work with them, it put an end to his wood working.

If the dust is causing you symptoms YOU ARE BREATHING IN TOO MUCH DUST!!! and need to clean up your operations. That said it is normal with flu like viruses to have an uneven recovery.

Well I have to say I getting air filtration and also a good respirator. I love what I do and would never want to have to stop. I have been playing with wood for well over 25 years and want many many more. Found a good Jet air system that hangs from the ceiling and looking at getting it asap. Winter is when its harder because I have to heat the shop and so it is closed up. In the summer I open things up and dont ever have a problem. I am also looking at a cyclone system for must dust collection. Tax return money is going to make me breath better for a long time.

Echoing the recommendation to wear a respirator. Even molds that reside naturally on seasoned wood can be an issue, let alone as remarked here, the oils and other components of wood.

Another suggestion is to flush your sinuses with a Nasaline syringe system after working--it will remove physically the dust in your sinus areas. I use this all the time especially in allergy season and in the winter; it gets rid of the headache and I can beat back infections without drugs. You simply warm up some filtered (must be filtered) water in the microwave for about 30 sec, add the salt and flush thru each side. Takes a few minutes. This has been a life saver for me, because I live in a dry dusty place.

But a respirator is the best best.

I rinse my sinuses but beware of using tap water. Read the below article, if you get those amebas you are out of here.

Two deaths from brain-eating amoeba linked to sinus remedy for colds
U.S state issues health warning after neti pot is linked to two deaths
By CLAIRE BATES
Last updated at 2:28 PM on 16th December 2011

A model holds a neti pot: It is used to relieve nasal congestion of cold and allergy sufferers
A sinus-flushing device used to relieve colds and allergies has been linked to a deadly brain-eating amoeba.
Louisiana's state health department issued a warning about neti pots - which look like mini watering cans, that are used by pouring salty water through one nostril.
It follows two recent deaths - a 51-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man from the 'brain-eating amoeba' Naegleria fowleri.
It is thought the amoeba entered their brains when they used the devices.
Both victims are thought to have used tap water, instead of distilled or sterilised water as recommended by the manufacturers.
Dr Raoult Ratard, Louisiana State Epidemiologist, said: 'If you are irrigating, flushing, or rinsing your sinuses, for example, by using a neti pot, use distilled, sterile or previously boiled water to make up the irrigation solution.
'Tap water is safe for drinking, but not for irrigating your nose.'
He added that it is important to rinse the irrigation device after each use and leave open to air dry.

More...
Half of all orange juice served in cafes may contain bacteria such as salmonella, scientists say
The very rare infection typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater lakes and rivers.
In very rare instances, health experts said such infections may also occur when contaminated water from other sources, such as from an inadequately chlorinated swimming pool or when people irrigate their sinuses with devices like neti pots.

Naegleria fowleri (left) and a stained sample seen in brain tissue
According to The Department of Health and Hospitals in Louisiana, the amoeba causes the disease primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue.
In its early stages, symptoms may be similar to symptoms of bacterial meningitis and can include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting and stiff neck. Later symptoms include confusion, loss of balance, seizures and hallucinations.
After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12 days.
A spokesman from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Louisiana cases are still being investigated.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-linked-sinus-remedy-colds.html#ixzz1mDom0hW7

ukebuilder said:

Found a good Jet air system that hangs from the ceiling and looking at getting it asap.

Click to expand...

I have one of those. It's amazing how much dust gets trapped in the filter. I bought mine with a washable filter and clean it regularly. Just don't get to thinking it will catch all the dust as it's created. What I've found over the past year is that the return does a good job of circulating the air but you won't notice much difference as you work.

I use fans and such with a big door (gotta love LA weather!) and a vacuum on the big tools. Then when I am shutting down, I turn the overhead filter on with a two-hour timer and leave the room closed up. THAT's when it works best. I can really tell the difference when coming in the next morning.

Thanks for the waring on the neti pot, We have used it in the past and just used tap water. Also yes I hear ya on the air filtration. I plan on using it all and I also open a door and blow the shop out with a blowgun once a week.

Dust is a serious issue.. I have a decent dust extraction system attached to all of my tools, and have done some customizing to a couple of them. Also a home built downdraft table/ sanding station that works very well, along with a Festool vacuum that attaches to the Hutchins vacuum assist pneumatic DA sanders. Most importantly is a standalone dust system which is actually made by a Canadian outfit called CAN-FAN. I use a large carbon canister, about 5' tall, 16" diameter, around 100lbs of activated carbon inside, with an outer filter element that is easy to vacuum when it looks loaded. A 5' piece of 8" insulated ducting leads from the end of the canister filter to the 8" high output inline (CAN-FAN) followed by about 20' of insulated ducting that exhausts on the other side of my shop. This is nearly silent, and runs 24/7/365, and has for years, with no maintenance except for monthly vacuuming of the outside 'pre-filter' on the outside of the can filter. This canister filter is located near the cartridge filter of my dust collector, so it helps catch what the dust collector misses, as well as circulating the shop air. There is a fan controller to control the speed of the fan, but I leave it on max. This unit circulates a lot of air. Occasionally it has gotten switched off. I immediately notice because the dust settling on surfaces increases. The can filter is about 5 years old, so the carbon is dead now, but for about 2 years it seriously diminished any solvents in the shop. I like this filter a lot. The ducting across the room helps insure that the whole shop is filtered, not just a small area. I am in the process of enclosing and streamlining the shop to decrease nooks and crannies where dust collects.

Myrtle has a funny smell, so it would not surprise me if it is a slight irritant. Rosewoods are definitely irritant. I work with a lot of Cocobolo. It started bothering me a couple of years ago, but then I installed the downdraft table, and started treating it very seriously, sanding it at the end of the day, and/or showering immediately after. I have not had any issues in a while. The downdraft table works well.

I think a smaller canister from Can Fan, would also work well, being wood dust, the outer prefilter does most of the work. The ducting an the very efficient, quiet fans mean a minimal bill, and near silent operation. I do not even notice the sound except very early in the morning when I first enter the shop. Canister-5' insulated ducting (8")- inline fan (canfan)- 20' insulated ducting (8") I would do this agian.....

Everyone is allergic to some wood. Some woods are more likely to cause problems - #1 being cocobolo.
I can work with cocobolo all day, but walnut will ruin my day.
I've read that each exposure gets worse, so.......
As Henny Youngman's doctor says: "If it hurts to do that, then don't do that."

Google wood toxicology and you will find lots of charts identifying likelihood and symptoms.

I know Yew is toxic if burnt and inhaled. White Oak is known for causing allergy symtoms