Wood dust, cancer risk and respiratory protection

Every time wood is sawed, ground or milled, dust is created. It seems harmless, but wood dust is actually classified as carcinogenic, and prolonged exposure to high concentrations has been linked to a rare cancer in the nose and sinuses. Because carpenters and floor layers work with wood every day for many years, dust handling is one of the most important health issues in the trade.

A limit value for wood dust of 1 milligram per cubic metre of air has been set. The limit value indicates the highest permitted average concentration an employee may be exposed to over a working day. If exceeded measures must be taken primarily extraction and possibly respiratory protection until the concentration is brought down.

The most effective protection is to remove the dust where it arises. Therefore process extraction must be used where wood dust is generated — for example at the table saw, chop saw, router and sanding machine. An important principle is that extracted air must not be returned to the work room unless it is effectively cleaned. If the dust is just moved around the room, the problem is not solved.

• 01Used as a supplement to — not instead of — extraction when dust cannot be fully removed
• 02With sanding work in poorly ventilated rooms and with pressure-treated wood masks are particularly important
• 03Filtering respiratory protection must fit tightly to the face, otherwise dust escapes along the edges
• 04For prolonged dusty work, a turbo mask with fresh air supply should be considered for comfort

Dust that has settled is easily whirled up again. Therefore, cleaning is part of dust handling. You should vacuum instead of sweep because sweeping sends the fine fraction back into the air, and compressed air to blow dust off clothes and machines should be avoided for the same reason. A clean workplace is not just tidier — it's healthier.

The health damage from wood dust comes creeping over many years, and for that very reason it is easy to underestimate the risk as a young craftsman. But good habits — extraction to, mask on, tidying up — are cheap to establish and expensive to forego. They are an investment in being able to breathe freely even after forty years in the trade.