Woodworking - Free HSE Leaflets 
Wood Dust - Hazards and Precautions
Wood Based Boards

Wood dust

It is highly advisable to protect yourself from possible allergic reactions to wood, especially
to wood dust and extractives such as tannin and resins.

Precautions

· Work in well-ventilated areas
· Wash and shower often
· Wash work clothes frequently
· Avoid particular toxic woods
· Wear gloves if necessary
· Use powered respirator helmet/mask
· Use effective dust extraction
· Avoid unseasoned wood
· Be especially cautious about inhaling dust when machining bonded wood
         products such as and PLYWOOD

Below are a few examples of the hidden health risks of wood:

       Wood             Adverse reaction       Location

The above chart is only a guideline rather than a definitive document. This is because wood will vary from sub species to sub species, and the type of soil a tree grows in will affect its toxicity.

MDF

MDF is a wood composite material, primarily softwood, bonded with a synthetic resin, which is usually formaldehyde-based. It is used industrially in furniture and cabinet making. The atmosphere typically created by machining MDF contains a mixture of softwood dust (and hardwood dust if hardwood is present in the MDF), free formaldehyde, dust particles onto which formaldehyde is adsorbed and, potentially, the resin binder itself and its derivatives.

HSE's Health and Safety Laboratory has conducted research:
Into the amount, particle size distribution and morphology of dust created during the machining of MDF compared with that created by machining pure wood, the potential for release of free formaldehyde from the resin binders used in MDF and the formaldehyde and isocyanate content of MDF dust.

The health effects of constituents of MDF are:
Formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. In experimental studies in rats, formaldehyde causes nasal cancer. However, there is no evidence that it has caused cancer, either nasal or other, in humans. Some softwood and hardwood dusts can cause asthma. However, the critical health effect for hardwood dust is sino-nasal cancer. There is some evidence, which suggests that softwood dust may cause sino-nasal cancer in humans, of a different histological type to that caused by hardwood dust, but the evidence is inconclusive.

Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 1999 Regulations (COSHH), control of exposure to dust can usually be achieved with properly designed dust extraction equipment fitted to the woodworking machine. It is essential that such equipment is kept in good working order and maintained regularly. When using portable or hand-held tools extraction equipment often is not practicable or available, in which case a suitable dust mask should be worn, and if possible the MDF should be machined in a well ventilated place, or outside.

In the UK, Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) are set under the COSHH Regulations. Two types of exposure limits are used: the maximum exposure limit (MEL) and the occupational exposure standard (OES). A description of the criteria used to determine which type of limit is applicable, and a complete list of OELs, revised and published annually by HSE, is given in the HSE publication EH40, "Occupational Exposure Limits".

If required departments or individuals can obtain further information on this criteria by emailing John.Adamson@ed.ac.uk.