Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
fatal walnut allergy
paul in AZ
A man died after exposure to walnut shell abrasive being used to 'sand' blast a building. He was known to be allergic.
Ironic that walnut shells are used because the old fashioned silica sand causes respiratory illness.
Re: fatal walnut allergy
Thomas Skaggs, Foothills of Mount Level
I just spent the day working with walnut....and wearing a mask. I am allergic to walnut dust. Breathing too much makes me feel like I have the flu. Oddly enough, I can eat walnuts with no problems. The wood has a natural herbicide called juglone. I'm pretty sure that is what makes me sick. None the less, a mask is a must for me!
T.
Re: fatal walnut
Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey
Walnut is a "sensitizer" meaning that the more exposure you have, the more it will effect you. That's different from an "allergy" but given time, the effect may be the same. I know at least one famous woodturner who, after working fresh-cut walnut for years, now finds himself in the position of the stuff being able to kill him with minimal exposure. Walnut's juglone protean extractive may be the primary culprit, but other extractives in the dust may also compound the effect.
Woodturners are especially susceptible due to their fondness for fresh-cut wet wood that has all the "bad" stuff intact.
Re: fatal walnut allergy
John K Jordan
>>>a mask is a must for me!
Exactly the same for me. I've been planing, bandsawing, and turning walnut in the last week and I have to wear an industrial 3M respirator with P100 filters or I too get the "flu." My sinuses get clogged then my head aches. With the respirator I have no issues. While turning and sanding I also use a powerful dust collector.
I get no rash, skin sensitivity (as with a couple of other woods) or lung issues.
If I walk through the shop later and can smell the walnut in the air it's enough to cause a problem. I did find if am sloppy and have a head reaction a prescription nasal spray quickly gets me back to normal in a couple of minutes with no aftereffects.
Husking, shelling, and eating raw or cooked walnuts causes no issues for me either.
BTW, the worst wood I've ever encountered is labeled Borneo Rosewood - I still have some but refuse to use it for anything! I checked the Wood Database: "The sap of Rengas is reported to be strongly irritating to the skin, causing blisters, sores, and reactions similar to poison ivy, as well as fever and constitutional effects in some individuals."
JKJ
probably not
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
"Walnut's juglone protean extractive may be the primary culprit,"
This chemical is used as a brown pigment/dye (I don't know how it works.) in hair coloring( I don't have much and it is already brown). Cosmetics are tested for allergic properties so I doubt this stuff poses any human hazard.