Wood Warning For Your Health

WHETHER YOU CHIP IT, SAW IT, TURN, DRILL OR SAND IT WORKING WITH WOOD CAN BE A RELAXING AND REWARDING.

BUT IT CAN ALSO BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH IN WAYS YOU'D NEVER IMAGINE.

WHETHER YOU WORK WITH WOOD ON A DAILY BASIS OR JUST ON THE WEEKEND BUILDING A DECK OR DOGHOUSE SOME WOODS CAN MAKE YOU DOWNRIGHT SICK AND EVEN CAUSE CANCER.

FOX 17'S LAURA FABER REPORTS ABOUT A WOOD WARNING EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.

WHEN THE CHIPS ARE FLYING AND THE DUST IS FLOATING, AARON SCHROER IS HAPPY.
HIS TRADE IS HIS PASSION.


aaron schroer says "i like the creative aspect more than anything else youre helping people build things they couldnt get otherwise."

SCHROER WORKS WITH DOMESTIC AND EXOTIC WOODS HIS STAPLES ARE MAHOGANY CHERRY AND WALNUT.

BUT HE'S LEARNED WOOD CAN WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS WHEN IT COMES TO HIS HEALTH.

aaron schroer says "I had one time working with mahogany and I work with it a lot this was unique experience I had a lot of inflammation and redness right in here through my sinuses."

SPLINTERS CAN BE SERIOUS TOO.


aaron schroer says "ive had splinters from rengay cypress ebony rosewoods all those splinters even if you get them out right away they still get red ."

AARON WEARS A MASK TO BLOCK THE DUST..
AND USES A FILTRATION SYSTEM.


THAT'S JUST SMART WOODWORKING SAYS TOXICOLOGIST DR DONNA SEGER .. WITH TENNESSEE'S POISON CONTROL CENTER.

SHE SAYS ITS LONG BEEN KNOWN YOU CAN GET DERMATITIS OR RASHES ON THE SKIN AND ASTHMA FROM WOOD DUST.


DR SEGER SAYS "one of the issues with wood is the dust not only do you breathe in the dust but it gets in your clothes on skin and its so small that it gets under clothes in shoes in socks and you really do have a significant exposure."


DR SEGER HESITATES TO CALL SOME WOODS "TOXIC" SHE SAYS IT'S MORE ABOUT HOW SENSITIVE THE PERSON IS THAN THE WOOD ITSELF.

SHE SAYS IT'S WHY YOU MAY REACT TO POISON IVY WHILE SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT NOT.


laura faber says "while there may not be much official scientific or medical research out there on this subject people who work with wood day in and day out say it's well known that some woods that are more nasty than others more prone to cause a rash lung problems or worse if you're not careful."

www.saw-online.com (scrollsaw association of the world)
also, HSE's Woodworking National Interest Group
PLENTY OF WEBSITES DOCUMENT WOODS LIKELY TO CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS.

AFRICAN MAHOGANY AND DOUGLAS FIR FROM OREGON CAN BOTH CAUSE SKIN IRRITATION DERMATITIS AND EVEN NASAL CANCER.

MILKY MANGROVE FROM AUSTRALIA AND ASIA CAN CAUSE TEMPORARY BLINDNESS AND BLISTERING OF THE SKIN.

THE GIANT SEQUOIA CERTAIN CEDARS AND ROSEWOODS ARE ALSO KNOWN TO CAUSE SERIOUS REACTIONS.

LOCAL WOOD SUPPLIER AARON SAPP ADDS COCOBOLO TO THE LIST.


aaron sapp says "a tree out of poison ivy family so a lot of people will react to this with skin rashes this is the largest warned wood for use for anything who hasn't used it before."

MOST CASES SHOW THAT REACTION TO WOOD USUALLY HAPPENS AFTER WORKING WITH IT CLOSELY SEVERAL COATS OF POLYURETHANE OR OTHER FINISH ON FURNITURE OR DISHES APPEAR TO OFFER MOST PEOPLE PROTECTION.

THOUGH SAPP HASN'T HAD ANY REACTIONS HIMSELF FROM WORKING WITH WOODMANY OF HIS CUSTOMERS HAVE.


aaron sapp says "weve had customers who spent time in the hospital because respiratory got so bad .. that was an extreme case .. but we have heard of that a few different times."


LAURA FABER FOX 17 NEWS.


IT'S RECOMMENDED YOU RESEARCH FIRST AND TEST WITH A SMALL SAMPLE BEFORE WORKING WITH A WOOD YOU'RE NOT FAMILIARY WITH.

YOU ARE ALSO URGED TO BE CAREFUL WITH PLYWOOD THAT CONTAINS CHEMICALS LIKE FORMALDEHYDE RESIN GLUES AND CERTAIN WOOD PRESERVATIVES.