Just how dangerous is MDF dust?

Re: Just how dangerous is MDF dust?

Yonak

Barry, I can only answer anecdotally, with no study or data to rely on. I work with and have worked with MDF quite a lot. To be sure, it's dusty and smelly. I try to always use a dust mask but, certainly, there have been times, such as, when I did something quickly, I didn't take the time to put on the respirator and, often, I have taken my mask off when there was MDF dust still in the air. The bottom line is, I'm still alive and my doctor tells me my lungs are clear.

It's possible I have an extraordinary constitution or I'm lucky, as I did spend 21 years of my career making prototypes out of polystyrene, which is even more dusty (but less smelly).

I understand MDF is made with formaldehyde, I've been told it remains resident in the product, and gets released when working the material. Formaldehyde is carcinogenic when present in high concentrations over long periods. My understanding is, when exposed to a carcinogen, one's body's susceptibility has important relevance.

Peanuts will kill you too....

Mark Hennebury

If you are severely allergic to them. For most people peanut exposure is not a problem.

Same with wood dust.

The past few years there appears to be an explosion of totally unfounded fear about wood dust. With hobbiest woodworkers building cleanroom workshops, with the finest particle dust collection systems measuring instruments to detect submicron dust particles in the air.

The fact is a hobbiest woodworker with a simple dustmask and no dust collector could spend a hundred years woodworking and never have a health issue from dust.

Millions of people around the world have worked in incredibly dusty conditions every day and do so for many many years.

If dust were that bad people that work in high dust condition would have a one year life expectancy, they would die like files.

I personally have worked in a dusty shop for 45 years and had my lungs checked last year and was told every test was fine and as the doctor told me "your good for another 100,000 miles"

I have routed and sanded a ton of MDF, plywood and particle board, plus all kinds of solidwood, including exotics. I have on occasion slept on a mountain of shavings from the thicknessplaner. On top of that i have rebuilt dozens of old machines which is even dirtier, grinding metal, sanding lead paint and sandblasting.

I don't think that you need be concerned about using the odd Piece of MDF

This is a photo taken about 30 years ago in one of my shops. I have a dust collector, but there is still dust everywhere, all of the time everyday. i wore a dust mask , earplugs and safety glasses.

Mark it's the future you should worry about

Dick Coers

It's not the first 45 years that are of concern, it's the last 10. Maybe go visit a nursing home to decide how you want to take care of your health now. Keep up disregarding the concern of wood dust, and you'll finish up your life towing an oxygen tank behind you or mounted to your walker. Most can disregard just about everything towards a healthy life, until you get closer to the end. With my 86 year old Mother at end stage dementia, unable to eat by herself, never feeling the urge to drink water, tethered to the chair with an alarm so techs know when you try to get up, and not recognizing anyone. I've become much more directed to keep challenged and exercise. It's scary as hell in those warehouses of people awaiting death.

I think that you are confused..

Mark Hennebury

I am the guy in the photo with safety glasses, earplugs, a dust mask and a dust collection system.

Re: I think that you are confused..

Dick Coers

When you mentioned the dust, I saw that you are standing on chips, the top of the machine is covered with sawdust, and your shirt was covered with dust. You should be commended for the personal safety equipment, but not sure your practice 30 years ago was the best. Of course mine weren't either, but I'm painfully aware of the cumulative effects these days.

I am aware...

Barry Irby

that a single minor exposure to wood dust is very unlikely to do me harm.

The people that were made ill by asbestos exposure were most likely people the worked with it for years in very dusty areas such as inside ships back in the day.

When I worked in commercial construction almost fifty years ago, the Boss liked to use Red Lead powder in the chalk boxes. The lines would stay in place much better than chalk. For several years I often had red lead powder on my hands. I probably ate lunch with the contamination in place. I wonder....

One has to wonder what the slow long term effects of all theses exposures might be. And, OTOH, none of them is likely to be beneficial.

Re: I am aware...

Mark Hennebury

The fact is that living is detrimental to your health. We are all going to die from the cumulative effects of living.

i am just trying to add some perspective; on the grand scale of things that are likely to do your harm, dust from a hobbyshop is not high on the list. a weekend warrior armed with a dust mask will live forever.

Most of the studies that provide all of the fear about dust are based on workplace situations with people working eight hours a day 5 days a week, year in year out.

Many studio craftsmen like me worked double that amount of time. i often worked 12, 14, 16 hours a day sometimes seven days a week. In my own shop with not exactly the ultimate dust collection system. The shop and everything in it was always covered in dust. So i have had a very high exposure to dust, and can expect the cumulative effects of that to show up at some point. But as you have seen i wore a dust mask all of the time and so far i seem to be fine.

If you listen to all of the health studies,Salt is bad for you, as is sugar, fat, alcohol, exercise, lack of exercise, Stress etc. The thing is to keep it all in perspective.

For a hobbiest, A bit of dust around your shop is not going to kill you.

Wear a dust mask, ear plugs and safety glasses and your good. have a dust collection system, don't sweat it.

Wife's Grandfather died from asbestosis

Dick Coers

He was an electrician. Unfortunately he choose to work on nuclear power generation construction. Way too much asbestos exposure for him. My brother died of colon cancer at the age of 48. I blame that on farm chemicals because he was the first in our family to die of cancer. Neighbor lady was one of those statistics of using body powder all her life and died of ovarian cancer.

Re: I think that you are confused..

Mark Hennebury

Okay, My shop wouldn't be considered a dust-free zone

In the early 70's worked a couple of years in a boatshop building fiberglass boats, grinding fiberglass is not exactly good for your health either. when the sun shone through the windows the air would glisten with minute particles of glass dust. No dust control/ collectors at all.

Not to mention all of the toxic fumes.

Give me wood dust any day.

Re: Wife's Grandfather died from asbestosis

Mark Hennebury

Cancer certainly seems to be on the increase.

My father worked on the construction of Dungeness nuclear power station and got Cancer in his 80's. My Aunt died of Leukemia, I have had a woodworker friend that died of lung cancer at the age of 40, another woodworker friend died of colon cancer at the age of 49, currently my sister is being treated for Non Hodgkin lymphoma, my brother is being treated for colon cancer, and my ex-wife is being treated for Ovarian cancer.

OMG, did not mean to bring up such a painful topic

Barry Irby

I read that even a heavy exposure to asbestos might take 20 years to show up. Then I read about the type that was in Vermiculite out of that mine in Montana. Distributed by the WR Grace company. Said a single short term exposure could severely affect you. I took it personally.

My father died of a combination of prostate cancer and some he got from too much sun. So far, I am a prostate cancer survivor. Sadly, I absolutely despise putting sunblock lotion on my skin. I am already older than my Dad when he died.

Your description of the fiberglass shop about sent me screaming like a little girl. I have a low squeam factor except for fiberglass (and lotion).

I doubt it is the dust that will get me.

Re: Wife's Grandfather died from asbestosis

Larry Clinton At Frankfort, (Central) Indiana

I worked with asbestos for years, used it when installing chimney pipe to insulate the pipes near combustibles, I also worked part time in gas stations, one of the common problems from the 50' though the 70's was leaking brake wheel cylinders. The common repair was to clean the brake pads with a wire wheel to remove the "glaze" and buff the pads until clean linings were visible. Naturally a lot of asbestos dust was generated and during that time no one knew of dust masks.

I also worked with many chemicals during electrical repair including PCB oils. These were used in Motor starters, transformers etc. At one shop I worked in we kept a bucket of the oil for use to clean grease etc off our hands. i worked for years using 1,1,1-trichloroethane, have even washed shirts I was wearing and put them back on! There were many other chemicals I have used heavily over the years.

I have stupidly smoked cigarettes since I was about 19 YO.

I am now 76 years old (be 77 in May) and in pretty good health. I am sure something will kill me in the future.

As far as more of certain diseases being seen today, I am fairly sure most of this is the fact they can diagnose many that were previously called "consumption" or something of the sort when a person became sick or passed on.

Would I advocate doing all the things I have done today, heck no, some people may be far more susceptible to chemicals or dust than I.

But I do think there are reasonable things to worry about and precautions to take. It is now accepted by many researchers that early exposure to many foods and things like weeds etc. can keep young people from developing allergies in their adult life.

Whether it be genetics or early exposure that did it, I am not allergic to anything but one odd antibiotic that caused my skin to peel from my hands when I took it in massive doses. Nothing else causes me any issue including any medicine, foods, Bee stings, poison Ivy or other plants etc.