Question:

Please forgive me for going off the woodworking topic, but I think this is worth sharing for the people who would be interested in this thread.   I have asthma that is often triggered by allergies.  My wife bought a HEPA air filtering unit for the house.  It’s a stand alone unit about 16" tall and 16" in diameter.   This thing has been a godsend.  It has made a noticable difference in the occurance of my asthma problems.  Since I feel better, I’m able to spend more time in the garage, working with wood.  Maybe I could cover it with mahogany veneer.  Does anybody have any plans for making a wood case for a HEPA filter?   Jay

Response:

it with mahogany veneer.  Does anybody have any plans for making a wood case for a HEPA filter?  

That sounds like it’d make a mighty purty HEPA wood, Jay. <groan          Never attempt to traverse a chasm in two leaps. http://diversify.com/ljaques/  Graphic Design for Print & the Web

Response:

Another site to look at is www.oneida-air.com .  For the record, I do *not* have any connection to Oneida Air Systems.  I am a Canadian, and Oneida Air is somewhere in or close to the New England states south of the US-Canadian border. HTH John

Syracuse NY

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|A furnace fan probably isn’t the right kind of blower if you expect it |to pass chips from the jointer, planer, or other machinery that produces |large chips. | |The other issue is the motor.  Chances are good the motor will be |significantly overloaded . . .<snip. . **(sigh)**  Back to the "I’ll use you someday"… pile for the blower unit.  What you say makes sense Joe, and I appreciate you setting me straight on that "brainwave" Cheers, Fisher

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Thank you much. Charlie

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Was the health  problem a direct result of breathing the wood dust?  I’ve wondered about the health risks. John The doctor wasn’t certain what caused the trouble, but he inicated that it was a good "trigger" for asthma.  I have never had any type of asthma before I started wood working  …  I felt that prcticing good dust collection would probably be a smart idea.  Just in case! It appears that wood dust is certainly implicated in numerous respiratory problems. There is a good article on this at www.oneida-air.com. ** JOE ** ** JOE ** Joe, An air filter will only help you beyond your working area. Its best to control the dust at the source with a good vac, wear an efficient dust mask with at

Good idea, but dust collectors and vacuums are two different types of fans for different purposes.  The vacuum doesn’t move much air, but what air it does move is at high speed and at a large pressure difference between the intake and outlet, typically 100+" of water.  Dust collectors move a *lot* of air, but the pressure difference is small, something like 5-10" of water.  I’m afraid a vacuum doesn’t move enough air for use as a dust collector. Whatever you do, a fan isn’t going to do any good unless the air is properly filtered down to 5 microns or less.  Most of the filter bags that come with these machines don’t trap particles much smaller than 40 microns.  Unfortuneatly, particles smaller than 40 microns are the most probable culprits that may be aggravating your asthma. Another site to look at is www.oneida-air.com .  For the record, I do *not* have any connection to Oneida Air Systems.  I am a Canadian, and Oneida Air is somewhere in or close to the New England states south of the US-Canadian border. HTH John — Please remove the text between and including the asterisks in my email address to reply. This measure was necessary to control unsolicited and unwanted email generated by robots or other automatons. Thank you for your cooperation.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – | | Was the health  problem a direct result of breathing the wood dust?  I’ve |wondered  <snip . . . <snip. . . |My site has a diagram of a filter and blower if you’re interested. Joe;     Your diagram for a filter/blower has given me renewed incentive to dig out that old furnace fan housing I kept many years ago "’cause I might need it some day . . . ." and build a filter system similar to what you showed on your site. Thanks for the inspiration. (Enjoyed your site too)

A furnace fan probably isn’t the right kind of blower if you expect it to pass chips from the jointer, planer, or other machinery that produces large chips. The other issue is the motor.  Chances are good the motor will be significantly overloaded with the ductwork removed (no drag to pull and push against).  Furthermore, the motor on your DC should be a totally enclosed fan cooled unit to keep the dust out of the motor.  I have a furnace fan from our old furnace, and the motor isn’t a TEFC unit.  Dust and electric motors don’t mix, especially in the waste stream of a woodworking machine.   HTH John . . . Now if I can just pull myself away from this newsgroup long enough to get something done. .. . Fisher Your Own

– Please remove the text between and including the asterisks in my email address to reply. This measure was necessary to control unsolicited and unwanted email generated by robots or other automatons. Thank you for your cooperation.

Response:

| | Was the health  problem a direct result of breathing the wood dust?  I’ve |wondered  <snip . . . <snip. . . |My site has a diagram of a filter and blower if you’re interested. Joe;     Your diagram for a filter/blower has given me renewed incentive to dig out that old furnace fan housing I kept many years ago "’cause I might need it some day . . . ." and build a filter system similar to what you showed on your site. Thanks for the inspiration. (Enjoyed your site too) . . . Now if I can just pull myself away from this newsgroup long enough to get something done. .. . Fisher Your Own

Response:

I have bronchial asthma, and I have noticed before that some wood dusts bother my nasal allergies.  I wear a dust/mist respirator when I use a power sander or do any real sweeping.  It takes a little getting used to, but in the long run, it has really increased my comfort. Jay Pagona

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Was the health  problem a direct result of breathing the wood dust?  I’ve wondered about the health risks. John The doctor wasn’t certain what caused the trouble, but he inicated that it was a good "trigger" for asthma.  I have never had any type of asthma before I started wood working  …  I felt that prcticing good dust collection would probably be a smart idea.  Just in case! It appears that wood dust is certainly implicated in numerous respiratory problems. There is a good article on this at www.oneida-air.com. ** JOE ** ** JOE **

Joe, An air filter will only help you beyond your working area. Its best to control

the dust at the source with a good vac, wear an efficient dust mask with at least two straps, and finally filter the airborne particles downstream. My site has a diagram of a filter and blower if you’re interested. Most importantly Sandor N.’s book is a excellent source on this subject. Joe   http://www.kitchen-refacing.com/dust.htm

Response:

writes: Can you post the link to that toxic chart?

                              WOODWORKING HAZARDS                    By Michael McCann, Ph.D., C.I.H. and Angela Babin, M.S. Wood is one of the most commonly used material in art, crafts, and home hobbies.  Wood is used for framing and installations, as well as in the creation of sculpture, furniture, crafts, jewelry, theatrical props and more.  Woodworking involves techniques such as carving, laminating, joining, sawing, sanding, paint removing, and painting and finishing. WOOD HAZARDS Wood sculpture and furniture-making use a large number of different types of hard and soft woods, including many exotic tropical woods.  Many of these woods are hazardous themselves. Sometimes woods are treated with hazardous preservatives or pesticides.   HARDWOODS    Hardwoods are commonly used in wood sculpture and furniture making.  Many rare hardwoods are imported from tropical countries.  In recent years, there has been considerable controversy in the woodworking community about the ethics of using rare tropical hardwoods in sculpture because the market for them is contributing to deforestation of many parts of the world. Hazards 1. Saps present in many green woods, and lichens and liverworts present on the surface of freshly cut wood, can cause skin allergies and irritation from direct contact. 2. Many hardwood dusts, especially those from exotic woods, are common sensitizers and can cause allergic skin reactions.  Some hardwoods can cause allergic reactions in individuals working with or using finished hardwoods.  Prolonged contact with rosewood, for example, which was used in making musical instruments, has caused allergic reactions in some musicians. 3. Contact with the dust of many hardwoods can cause conjunctivitis (eye inflammation), hay fever, asthma, coughing, and other respiratory diseases.  Canadian and Western Red Cedar are examples. 4. Some hardwoods can cause hypersensitivity pneumonia (alveolitis), and frequent attacks can cause permanent lung scarring (fibrosis).  Examples of these highly toxic woods include giant sequoia, cork oak, some maple woods and redwood. 5. Some hardwoods contain chemicals that are toxic, and can cause a variety of symptoms, including headaches, salivation, thirst, giddiness, nausea, irregular heartbeat, etc.  A classic example is hemlock. 6. Inhalation of hardwood dust is associated with a particular type of nasal and nasal sinus cancer (adenocarcinoma).  This type of cancer has a latency period of 40-45 years, and occurs to the extent of about 7 in 10,000 among woodworkers who are heavily exposed.  This rate is many times higher than the rate of nasal adenocarcinoma in the general population.  Over half of all known cases of this type of cancer are found in woodworkers. 7. See table 1. for information on specific woods.  Hardwoods such as beech and oak have been assigned a Threshold Limit Value (TLV) from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) of 1 mg/m3. Precautions 1. Whenever possible, use common hardwoods rather than rare tropical hardwoods. 2. If you have a history of allergies, you should avoid common sensitizing woods. 3. Do not use sensitizing woods for utilitarian objects where people would be in frequent contact with the wood.  For example, don’t use these types of wood for handles. 4. Avoid inhalation of wood dusts by using local exhaust ventilation, or wearing a NIOSH-approved toxic dust respirator. 5. If you are handling woods that can cause skin irritation or allergies, wear gloves or apply a barrier cream.  Wash hands carefully after work. 6. See also precautions for particular woodworking processes described below. SOFTWOODS    Softwoods, for example pine, are often used in furniture making.  Domestic softwoods are the most common. Hazards 1. Softwoods do not cause as high a frequency of skin and respiratory problems as do hardwoods.  A few individuals can develop allergic reactions to some softwoods. 2. It is not known whether softwood dust also causes nasal and nasal sinus cancer, since epidemiological studies involving softwood often entail exposure to hardwoods and softwoods.  3. Softwoods have been assigned a TLV of 5 mg/m3. Precautions 1. See precautions listed for hardwoods. PLYWOOD AND COMPOSITION BOARD    Plywood is made by gluing thin sheets of wood together with either urea-formaldehyde glues (for indoor use) or phenol- formaldehyde glues (for outdoor use).  Composition board, for example particle board, is made by gluing wood dust, chips, etc. together with urea-formaldehyde resins.  The materials can emit unreacted formaldehyde for some years after manufacture, with composition board emitting more formaldehyde.  In addition, heating these materials or machining them can cause decomposition of the glue to release formaldehyde.  In the last few years, manufacturers of plywood and composition boards have tried to formulate them to reduce formaldehyde emissions.  However, you often have to specify low formaldehyde plywood to ensure you get the proper product. Hazards 1. Formaldehyde is highly toxic by inhalation, highly toxic by eye contact and ingestion, and moderately toxic by skin contact. It is an irritant and strong sensitizer.  Formaldehyde is a probable human carcinogen.  Even trace amounts of free formaldehyde may cause allergic reactions in people who are already sensitized to it. 2. Machining, sanding, or excessive heating of plywood or composition board can cause decomposition releasing formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide (in the case of amino resins) and phenol (in the case of phenol-formaldehyde resins). Precautions 1. Use low-formaldehyde products whenever possible.  There are particle boards that are made without formaldehyde, but these are very expensive. 2. Do not store large amounts of plywood or composition board in the shop since it will emit formaldehyde.  Instead store in a ventilated area where people do not work. 3. Dust collectors connected to woodworking machines should be exhausted to the outside since emitted formaldehyde will not be captured by dust collectors. 4. A gradual bakeout, in which temperatures are raised to about 90

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