Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article What's New  |  Site Map 

 

 
   
   
 
 


Today's
Sponsors:


Royce Ayr Cutting Tools

RT Machine Co.

Safety Speed Cut

Sand-Rite Manufacturing

Sandman Products

Saw Trax Mfg.

Sawmill and Woodlot Magazine

Schmalz, Inc.

Schultz Forming Products

SCM Group USA, Inc.

SCM Group

SCM

SDN Contracting

Seagrave Coatings Corporation

Sears Trostel Lumber Co.

Shade Dri

Shomaker Lumber Company

ShopBot

SII Dry Kilns

Silvaris

Simantech

SIS Machinery

SK-USA

SketchList

SlipCon USA, Inc.

SnapDragon Associates, LLC

SNX Technologies

South State Machinery

South Texas Moulding

Southeast Tool, Inc.

Specialtytools.com

SprayGunWorld.com

NPO BARS

Nydree Flooring

Nyle Dry Kiln Systems

O'Shea Lumber Company

Old Mississippi Brick and Heart Pine Company

OMGA, Inc.

Omnitech Systems

Onsrud Cutter

Opti-Sand

Original Saw Company

Osolnik Machinery & Supplies

Patton Cabinet Doors

Paul Saws and Systems

People Logic Software Corp.

Pinske Edge

Pioneer Lumber Company

Planit Solutions Inc.

plastiMACH

Plogic Solutions Ltd.

Pond Cove Paint

Porter-Cable

Precision Drive Systems

Precision Saw Sharpeners

Premium Specialty Hardwoods

Pricecutter.com

Prime Estimating and Software Services, LLC

Pro.Woodworker.com

Pro100

Professional Hardware & Supply Co.

Quality VAKuum Products, Inc.

Quick Machinery Company

Quickscrews International Corporation

QuickScribe

QuickWood

QuikDrawers

Quis Machinery

R&R Drummond, Inc.

R.A.W.

R.D. Billhofer Company

Rangate

Rawles-Aden Lumber Corp.

RazorGage

Restoration Specialists

Rex Lumber Company

Riethmiller Lumber

Ritter Manufacturing Inc.

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

Roger Shaw and Associates

Rose Machinery

Routech

RouterCAD



WOODWEB DISCLAIMS any and all RESPONSIBILITY and LIABILITY for the accuracy and application of the information below. Readers agree to evaluate the significance and limitations of the information provided, and accept full responsibility for the application of this information. Read More ...

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?



Allergic Reactions to Wood       Sawmiller show and tell about rashes and respiratory reactions to contact with various wood species. October 20, 2005

Question
This batch of really painful blisters on my arms was caused by the sawdust from a batch of teak I was planing. My face has always been that way.

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
Contact dermatitis caused by teak? That looks bad. I've reacted to fresh black walnut, and will be milling some teak soon. Thanks for the heads-up - I'll be careful...



My forearms have been itching like crazy lately. I've been resawing Bloodwood, Leopardwood, and Purpleheart. Anyone out there react to any of those?


I had a similar reaction to OSB, of all things. Much smaller dots from t-shirt sleeve to the wrist.


I don't get the skin irritations, but I definitely get the lung effects. Padauk seems to be the worst. Every time I cut and sand it, it feels like fire is crawling up my nose. Bocote is nasty, too. The first time I cut it I thought I was back in the gas chamber at Basic Training breathing CS gas. A reaction to OSB is pretty common. I'm a framing carpenter, and I always react to it. My nose immediately plugs up and starts running, and I sneeze repeatedly throughout the day. It’s not the wood (since it's just poplar) - it's the formaldehyde. OSB emits formaldehyde gas for quite a few days after it's made.


I heard teak swells testicles in men overexposed to the oil in the wood. Also, ironwood sawdust from the southwest US is bad on lungs.


The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor N:
I got an almost identical reaction (smaller blisters) when I was milling fresh green walnut logs with the bark still on last summer. I can't seem to find a huge amount of information about it, but I'm under the impression that the juglone toxin concentration is higher in the bark and underlying tissue than in the heartwood. In any case, I got less of a reaction (and less orange-brown stains on my exposed skin) the last time I milled a log, and used a bark spud to remove the bark first!


Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?
  • KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base

  • KnowledgeBase: Dust Collection, Safety, Plant Management

  • KnowledgeBase: Dust Collection, Safety, Plant Management: Material Handling

  • KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing

  • KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Sawmilling




    Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

    If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to
    review our Forum Guidelines.

    Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

    When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

    Return to beginning of article.



    Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy

    Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page.

    Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site.

    To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster

    Copyright © 1996-2008 - WOODWEB ® Inc.
    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor.
    Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy.

    The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk.

    WOODWEB, Inc.
    RR4 Box 265A
    Montrose, PA 18801

    Contact WOODWEB