The Hidden Dangers of Woodwork:

Wood dust contains a complex mix of resins, fungal spores, mold spores, wood preservatives, sealants and glues.

Due to this complex mix it is very difficult to determine which irritant may be causing a health problem.

Investigators for the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) found that the normal functions of the mucous membranes in the nose, throat and lungs were impaired in workers exposed to wood dust for more than ten years.

Woodworkers are 500 times more likely to have certain types of nasal cancer than non-woodworkers.

Cancers of the larynx, tonsils, tongue and lungs have been reported amongst furniture workers in England and Sweden.

A researcher with the State Department of Social and Health Services in Olympia, Wash reviewed the death records of more than 16,000 members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America and found an above-average rate of leukemia and lymphoma among millwrights, lumber workers and cabinetmakers.

Estimates indicate that up to 13% of woodworkers have occupational asthma triggered by wood dust Pesticides and preservatives used on timber may also trigger dermatitis The National Fire Protection Association reports that the combination of machinery, wood, chemical fumes and fine dust in wood shops poses a serious fire risk. In fact, scatter wood dust can actually explode if ignited by a spark