[dart]

I have what appears to be bronchitis? At least that's what the doctor told me today. He asked me if there is a lot of dust in my house. I told him I didn't think so. This bronchitis is reoccuring for me about every other month. I sure hope my bandsaw and dust collector aren't the problem? Or worse yet, my wood carving. I don't use any power carvers, just my little set of knives and a few carving tools. Now I don't know what to think?

[mikeg]

The non-power carving tools don't generate dust so those are safe. (Unless of course you put one through your hand, but that's another issue altogether!)

What size bags do you have on the dust collector? Most of the lower end ones come with 30 micron bags. If that's the case at your house, you should probably upgrade to bags in the 1-5 micron range. From what I've heard the 30 micron filters are good for woodchips but that's about all.


I hope you can find the source of irritation and eliminate it.

mikeg

[Callynne]

Dart, do you wear a dust mask when using the bandsaw? Even with a dust collector you should. I bought one of the Dust Bee Gone masks and really like it. It costs more than paper ones but it's washable, so it pays for itself in no time at all. I got mine at Woodcraft, here's a link showing it, in case you aren't familiar with it http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=2089

Mike's right, you aren't generating any dust hand carving, but do you do any sanding on your carvings? Even a little bit will make dust that you're breathing in, wear a dust mask then too.

Let us know how your doing! Good luck! Deborah

[wade clark]

I use a dust-bee-gone mask too and like it.
Is there a chance some of the problem is a reaction to some of the wood you're carving? Cypress gets me. Not bad enough to stop me, but I get overly mucussy around it and get some whopper head aches, mostly power carving it though.
What kinds of wood do you carve? I have a book, WOOD IDENTIFICATION AND USE by Terry Porter, that list all kinds of things about woods including toxicity. I'd be happy to look them up for you.
Take care of yourself!
Wade

[dart]

Thanks all for the replies. I use the bandsaw to get a blank of wood cut down to size. The dust collector bag is probably the regular type. I use mostly pine and never had any problem with it before. I have dust masks which I will be wearing. They are the expensive type. I won't be using any power tools for awhile until I get much better. I don't like the thought of giving up wood carving.

[Just Carving]

If you have a hypersensitivity (allergy) to a particular wood, your respiratory passages, i.e. nose, sinuses, pharynx, mouth, windpipe, bronchi, and lungs will become irritated enough to trap irritants. These irritants can be any one of a number of agents, foreign substances, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. that can cause sinusitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and even pneumonia. Working with irritants in extremely cold or hot air can also cause respiratory problems. If you have a head cold caused by a virus, and a small allergy to wood dust, this could be the first step toward getting bronchitis or sinusitis. Your respiratory passages have become irritated enough by a virus that another irritant such as wood dust, solvents, paints, etc. can cause a domino-effect situation where the inflammation continues to worsen. Wood has the unique ability to contain any one of the irritants listed above. On top of which, using solvents and paints can further aggravate an already bad situation.

Number one priority is to protect yourself if you suspect whatever carving related activity you're doing is causing the problem. If you have a cold, stay away from carving until your head and chest are clear of congestion. In good health circumstances, a dust-be-gone or similar mask could resolve some of the problems. Wearing eye protection will reduce the amount of dust getting into your eyes, which can eventually work its way into your sinuses. Air cleaning systems or dust extraction systems could also resolve some of the problems. But you will need to make sure that the wood is the only problem. Other carving related activities could cause the problems also. The use of alcohol sprays, solvents, paints, stains, etc. can aggravate a pre-existing pulmonary problem--such as smoking related ailments, long-term occupational exposure to irritants like those listed above, chronic pulmonary diseases such as emphysema, asthma, chronic bronchitis (a long term disease, unlike acute bronchitis which is relatively short term).

To further complicate the situation, if your have dryness or excessive humidity in your home, the amount of moisture could be in need of adjustment with a humidifier for adding moisture, or dehumidifier for removing moisture. If you have a humidifier in your forced air heating system, ensure that it is clean. A dirty humidifier can lead to serious illnesses like Legionnaires disease.

If you have forced air heating and ventilation systems in your home or workshop, the filters need to be maintained. Replacement or cleaning the reusable filter is a simple and relatively cheap way of resolving air quality problems in the home especially in the winter--and particularly for wood carvers. Whether you're carving by hand tools or power tools, there are still small particles of wood being released into the air. This dust being generated will end up in your filters. Eventually, the filters become clogged or overwhelmed, and the dust remains in the air you're breathing. It will take a while for hand tool carvers, but the exposure for those who are allergic or hypersensitive to the dust will lead to other problems.

Finally, with the erratic weather that we've been having, allergies have had an early awakening. The cold temperatures of winter usually keep the amount of mold spores in the air to a minimum. Because we have had several warming trends, the ground has not really frozen and every time it rains the mold spores from the ground, the leaves, dying vegetation, etc. gets stirred up and causes trouble for people with mold allergies.

We know to protect ourselves, i.e. wearing gloves, aprons, etc., from injury caused when using sharp tools by the apparent cuts and bleeding that occur when we don't protect ourselves. We don't often think of tiny particles of sharp slivers of wood slicing through our lungs and causing our airways to fill with water, and even microscopic bleeding. But that's exactly what wood dust can do. A splinter of wood inside your nose or throat is just like a splinter of wood under your skin of your finger--except it's much harder to remove. So, even if you don't have any significant allergies, you can still be harming yourself.

If I've scared the heck out of you, GOOD! I have allergy and sinus problems, and I'm looking after my elderly father who has emphysema caused by years of smoking and years of exposure to chemicals. Add to that my years of EMS experience. I speak from the heart when I say, if I can stop someone from having to deal with health related problems that could have been prevented, then I have done my part.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

wear a mask, I believe the sensitivity to the dust increases with exposure...I have a "Dustfoe" and it works, kind of uncomfortable but so would carrying around a bottle of oxygen! Wear a mask!