Health impacts of sawdust

Any type of woodworking that involves cutting, either by hand or machine, releases sawdust (or wood dust).

Because fine sawdust can float through the air, it can be easily inhaled without proper protection, leading to damaging injuries to a woodworker's skin and lungs.

[2] The National Occupational Exposure Survey (conducted from 1981 to 1983) estimated that nearly 600,000 workers were exposed to woods (NIOSH 1990).

Teschke et al. (1999) analyzed 1,632 measurements of personal time-weighted-average airborne wood-dust concentrations in 609 establishments on 634 inspection visits that were reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Integrated Management Information System between 1979 and 1997.

[2] High exposures occurred in the chemical, petroleum, rubber, and plastics products industries, in sanding, pattern making, and mill and saw operations.

[3] Other common symptoms associated with wood dust exposure include skin and eye irritation; nasal dryness and obstruction; and prolonged colds.

Human body absorbs the chemicals in the wood through the lungs, skin and digestive system, resulting in breathlessness, headaches, dizziness, cramps, irregular heartbeat and weight loss.

Certain species of hardwood—such as oak, mahogany, beech, walnut, birch, elm, and ash— have been reported to cause nasal cancer in woodworkers.

However, the main risk are the fine particles that can easily float in the air and bypass a lung's natural filter.

Attribution: This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.