Wood-Dust

Hazards. According to the Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances N° 901, Wood dust is recognised as being associated with the following hazards  

In 1987, the atmospheric limit value for wood dust (the TRK value) was established at 2 mg/m for new plants and 5 mg/m for old / existing plants. Since 1996, the 2 mg/tn value,measured as inhalable ( E ) dust (Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances N° 900), applies to all workplaces where wood dust is generated. At European level, the limit value for hardwood dust is 5 mg/m (Coimcil Directive 1999/38/EC). 

Technische Richtkonzentration / technical guidance concentration. With a ceiling value for peak exposures of 4 times this TRK value. Former total dust. 

The TRGS 553 also determines when the more stringent provisions of the Ordinance on Hazardous Substances foreseen for carcinogens have to be lied when working with wood that contains either oak or beech wood or both.  

The Ordinance on Hazardous Substances in conjunction with the Technical Rule for Hazardous Substances (TRGS 402) also lays down how to determine and to assess the airborne concentration of dangerous substances in work areas and whether or not work areas can be exempted fi om exposure measurements. This 

Indoor finishing and/or refinishing of wood components (floors, cabinets, counters, furniture, etc.) often liberates dust particles that induce 

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Three of the disadvantages of ESPs are as follows (1) the initial cost is the highest of any particulate collection system, (2) a large amount of space is required for the installation, and (3) ESPs are not suitable for combustible particles such as grain or wood dust. 

Wood dusts some hardwoods (e.g. iroko, mahogany) Furniture manufacture... 

Carcinogenic hazard of wood dusts. Carcinogenicity of crystalline silica Inorganic arsenic compounds... 

Wood dust hazards and precautions COSHH and the woodworking mdustnes Glue spreading machines Hardwood dust survey... 

Assessment and control of wood dust use of the dust lamp... 

Selection of respiratory protective equipment suitable for use with wood dust... 

Safe collection of woodwaste prevention of fire and explosion Health surveillance and wood dust... 

Among the 10 million known chemical compounds, there are some 50 000 which are in common use. Workers are usually exposed to several agents simultaneously (their interactions are considered in section 5.3.4.2). In addition, many impurities in workplace air are inherently complex mixtures, which may consist of hundreds of different compounds. Mineral oils and wood dusts are examples of common complex mixtures. 

Air contaminants in solid or liquid state (aerosols), e.g., wood dust, welding smoke, or oil mist, are all in principle directly visible. The dispersion of those contaminants and the airflow patterns around the source may therefore be studied without any special tools. It is, however, not always possible to see the contaminant if, for example, the concentration in the air is low, the size of the particles is small, or the lighting is poor. The fact that the contaminant can t be seen may stem from the acceptable low level of the concentration but that can of course not be used to conclude that the control is acceptable. That conclusion depends not only on the contaminant s toxicological qualities but on how visible it is iit air. The ability to see the particles directly is also, as said above, a function of their size. Small particles, able to be transported deep into the thinner airways of the lungs, are many times also difficult to see directly. 

This kind of spotlight enhances the visibility markedly and is very useful for the visualization of fine particles emitted from a relarively small source. Figure 12.2 illustrates the effect of a dust lamp used to visualize wood dust einissiori and exposure when sanding wood. 

The combustion of oil, gas, PF, wood dust, and many other types of fuels in a furnace requires specially designed burners together with an ignitor. Burners use solid state, automatic management systems to proportion and mix fuel, primary air, and secondary air prepare the mixture for combustion and monitor the firing sequence. 

Liquids gasoline, acetone, ether, pentane Solids plastics, wood dust, fibers, metal particles Gases acetylene, propane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen... 

Wood dust (particularly red cedar) Many Irritation Eyes, mucous membranes, Sensitizaton Asthma Moderate (N/A)... 

In a nested case-control study of cancers associated with chemical exposures in the wood industry, Kauppinen et al. (1986) found a significantly increased risk of respiratory system cancer associated with exposure to phenol and phenol in wood dust. As is often the case in occupational settings, these exposures were confounded by smoking and exposures to other materials like pesticides. The increased risk observed for exposure to phenol was almost 5-fold (odds ratio of 4.94), but showed no dose-related increase. This risk dropped to 4-fold with adjustments for smoking history, and to less than 3-fold (and non-significant) when workers exposed to both phenols and pesticides were excluded from the analysis. 

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