Replies

1. 
   fmaglin | Dec 23, 2008 11:59am | #1

   I'm currently doing a job qith Macarae and the dust from it is doing the same to our noses and throats. Does anyone have a list of which woods are toxic???
   fmaglin

1. 
   Dreamcatcher | Dec 23, 2008 05:18pm | #10

   Quote: "Does anyone have a list of which woods are toxic???"FYI...All wood is "toxic". How much and in what way is the question. Some woods are more toxic to some than to others, sort of in an allergen way.In the book "Nick Engler's Woodworking Wisdom" he states:
   "There are two common ways that a wood may affect your health, as either an IRRITANT or a SENSITIZER. Irritants bother most craftsmen, at least to a small degree. These effects may be mechanical rather than chemical - fine sawdust tickles your nasal passages and makes you sneeze. More often, though, it's the chemicals in the sawdust that irritate you. The tannic acid in oak, for example, is a powerful irritant."
   "Sensitizers affect only those people who are allergic to them. Allergic reactions range from a runny nose and watery eyes to hives and asthma. Furthermore, repeated exposure often causes greater sensitivity, and the reaction becomes more severe."
   "A very few woods contain chemicals which cause SYSTEMIC reactions, affecting the stomach, nerves, kidneys, even the heart. Oleander and yew, for example, contain chemicals similar to Digitalis, a heart drug." Here's a list:
   Western Red Cedar...SENSITIZER
   Cocobolo...IRRITANT
   Ebony...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Doug. Fir...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Goncolo Alves...SENSITIZER
   Ipe...SENSITIZER
   Iroko...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Kingwood...SENSITIZER
   Lacewood...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Mansonia...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Oregon Myrtle...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Red Oak...IRRITANT
   White Oak...IRRITANT
   Oleander...IRRITANT
   Padauk...IRRITANT
   Peroba Rosa...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Bolivian Rosewood...SENSITIZER
   Honduran Rosewood...SENSITIZER
   Indian Rosewood...SENSITIZER
   Sassafras...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Satinwood...IRRITANT
   Spruce...SENSITIZER
   Teak...SENSITIZER
   Tulipwood...SENSITIZER
   Walnut...IRRITANT and SENSITIZER
   Yew...IRRITANTFor more info see:
   "AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants", by Dr. Kenneth Lampe and Mary Anne McCann, American Medical Association 1985"Woods Injurious to Human Health", by Bjorn M. Hausen, Walter de Gruyter Inc., 1981Aside from the information listed above, I think it is also important to note that people with allergies to nuts are especially vulnerable to the wood of those nut bearing trees. This is just another FYI that you should know if any employees or clients have nut allergies and to what extent. While I am the last guy to be afraid of tools, chemicals, or dicey operations... I do believe that having an upperhand knowledge of what can go wrong in a situation, pre-planning, and knowing what to do when good times go bad is all part of being a true professional in any trade especially carpentry. Not to be rude of preachy but if it came as a total shock to you that the wood you were using was toxic... you may want to do a bit more research into each aspect of what you do.DC

1. 
   fmaglin | Dec 24, 2008 02:28am | #11

   Thanks for that info DC. I was aware of the toxicity of Oak and Walnut, but the wood that bothers me the most (sensitivity wise) is Spanish Cedar. Thanks again for the list.Frank

1. 
   Jeff_Clarke | Dec 24, 2008 05:02am | #12

   Funny - I've heard the same about Spanish cedar and I've practically eaten it.   Doesn't affect me at all and I really like the smell.

   Jeff

2. 
   TomT226 | Dec 24, 2008 02:27pm | #14

   Watch out for spalted woods.  They contain fungi that can cause death from pulmonary edema.  Some documented cases of death are usually wood-turners. 

1. 
   MikeSmith | Dec 24, 2008 03:02pm | #15

   fmaglin... were you maddog in another life ?Mike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

2. 
   fmaglin | Dec 25, 2008 01:42am | #16

   Hi Mike,That would be me. How have you been?Formerly Mad Dog

3. 
   MikeSmith | Dec 25, 2008 02:49am | #17

   last time i saw you around here you had just returned from russia with your bride

    

   beaumont and james duhammel's... good timesMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

4. 
   fmaglin | Dec 25, 2008 08:04pm | #19

   Yup, it's now 5 years later and I still consider her my bride. We moved from Texas back to my good ol home state of Ohio where I re-activated my union card and am working for a high end trim outfit out of Columbus. I've been steady working since we moved back in 2006.
   I brought all of my shop machines with me and am set up in the basement of my new home doing side work when available. Life is great!Hope you are doing good as well! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Frank

2. 
   frenchy | Dec 23, 2008 12:00pm | #2

   I'm not familar with Bolvian Mahogany. I am familar with Honduras Mahogany and would have assume they were similar.  I do recognize the slight differance between Cuban Mahogany and Honduras but it's really trivial.

     The cuban mahogany I've worked with actaully was found in Florida since Cuba no longer exports any of it's mahogany.

3. 
   Piffin | Dec 23, 2008 01:08pm | #3

   I had that once with a wood a gut called a south american cedaar that looked more like mahogany to me - very hard but milled nice. He wanted me to make handrails from it. I almost quit before it was done. Dust masks and working outside got me thru it.

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

4. 
   TomT226 | Dec 23, 2008 02:27pm | #4

   A lot of South American woods have fake names like "Brazillian Cherry," that masquerade as other woods so consumers will buy'em.  I have a feeling that the "Mahogany" you have isn't.  It's probably something different.  Post a pic or describe it over to Fine Wood Working to help identify it.

   I've worked with a lot of Mahogany and never had that reaction.  I've also worked with some other woods that really had bad effects.  Some are kin to poison ivy and will cause a rash too.

    

5. 
   DaveRicheson | Dec 23, 2008 04:36pm | #5

   A little search turned up your mahagony as  swietenia macrohylla. It falls under the american mahogany grouping. If you scroll down on this link :

   http://www.riparia.org/toxic_woods.htm

   you will find it and your possible reactions to it

6. 
   hammer1 | Dec 23, 2008 04:38pm | #6

   Quite a few tropical woods will cause either respiratory or dermalogical problems. The various rosewoods are well known for this but there are so many unusual species that are becoming available. Some folks are not effected while other have a severe reaction. We tried to use obeche for an inexpensive white wood and half the shop would have to go home. OSHA considers all wood dust to be hazardous. We keep an MSDS on wood dust. Here is a list of toxic species but there may be many more.

   http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/roche/rec.wood.misc/wood.toxic

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   Shep | Dec 23, 2008 05:02pm | #9

   Thru woodturning, I've learned about a lot of those woods.

   I know a few  guys who will just about break out in a rash looking at a rosewood.

   And you can work with the woods for years, until your body gets sensitized to it; then all kinds of reactions can occur. I know one guy who had an asthma attack after using some tropical wood he had turned safely for years.`

7. 
   DanH | Dec 23, 2008 04:49pm | #7

   Any tropical wood is going to be toxic to a degree. How else do you think the trees resist bugs and rot?

   The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. --Wilhelm Stekel
8. 
   Hudson Valley Carpenter | Dec 23, 2008 04:56pm | #8

   After years of trying to get by with throw-away paper dust masks I bought a painter's mask with two replaceable filters.  It adjusts to fit over the nose and mouth snugly and comfortably.  And I can actually breathe through it, almost normally. 

   Since then I've carried it with my tools and use it whenever there's anything going on that puts dust into the air. 

   Thirty-some bucks well spent.  Paint department at Home Depot.  Saves the lungs, the liver and who knows what else.

   There are different filters available, to remove both particulate matter and chemical fumes from the air being breathed. 

    

1. 
   xxPaulCPxx | Dec 24, 2008 08:53am | #13

   I'll do you one better:

   I got the North 7600 series full face mask.  It does all the breathing functions you mention PLUS it has built in eye protection. I paid more than $200 for mine, but you can ebay them for less. 

   I find it so comfortable I'd rather wear that than a paper mask.

   Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!

   Look, just send me to my drawer.  This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.

2. 
   seb | Dec 25, 2008 04:16am | #18

   I agree with HVC..a mask that deals with solvents..Ie. lacquer thinner etc . will take care of that stuff..I used to make pool cues from all sorts of strange tropical woods , and never had a problem using one of them..
   Bud.