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Wood Dust |
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Recognition |
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Wood dust has several hazards associated with
exposure to it in the workplace. In general, exposure to excessive amounts is considered to have an
irritant effect on eyes, nose and throat in addition to pulmonary function
impairment and is considered a human carcinogen. Western red cedar dust has also
been shown to cause asthma. Significant accumulations of fine particles of wood
dust can also be a fire and explosion hazard in the workplace. The
following web pages list different types of woods and provide information about
each one and how they may affect humans.
Toxicity
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Wood Dust. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1989, January
19). OSHA comments from the
January 19, 1989 Final Rule on Air Contaminants Project extracted from
54 FR 2332 et. seq. This rule was remanded by the US Circuit Court of Appeals
and the limits are not currently in force, and contains data from animal studies
and human epidemiological studies on the health effects of wood dust.
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Particulates (Not Otherwise Regulated).
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1989,
January 19). OSHA comments from the January 19, 1989 Final Rule on Air
Contaminants Project extracted from
54 FR 2332 et. seq.
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NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. National Institute of Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-151, (2005, September).
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Toxic Woods.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE), (2001, June), 140 KB PDF, 4 pages.
Identifies
health effects of wood exposures and precautions, and includes a table of woods
and their effects.
- Wood Dust and Formaldehyde. World Health Organization, International
Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), (1997, August 13), 37 KB
PDF, 8 pages.
- Wood Dust. US Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS), National Toxicology Program (NTP) Report on Carcinogens,
Eleventh Edition, 209 KB
PDF, 2 pages.
- Report on Carcinogens: Background Document for Wood Dust,
(2000, December), 6 MB
PDF, 413 pages.
- Wood Dust and Occupational Asthma. Occupational Health Surveillance and
Evaluation Program (OHSEP), Occupational Health Branch, California Department of
Health Services and Labor Occupational Health Program (LOHP), Center for
Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of
California, Berkeley, (2004, January), 533 KB
PDF, 8 pages.
Biological Hazards and Chemical Additives
The health effects associated with wood dust
come not only from the wood dust itself
but also biological organisms such as mold and fungi which grow on the wood, and chemicals
such as formaldehyde, copper naphthanate, and pentachlorophenol used in the processing of some
woods.
Dust Explosions
In addition to the health effects of wood dust, airborne dust can create the
potential for a dust explosion.
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Hazardous
(Classified) Locations. OSHA Construction Safety and Health Outreach
Program. Contains a discussion of what comprises a hazardous location and the rating
system. Wood dust can cause a location to be classified as Class II or Class III.
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