Wood dust, commonly referred to as "sawdust", is an inevitable by-product in the woodworking industry.  Without effective dust collectors, wood dust not only creates a mess in your shop, it can also cause health problems for you and your employees.  In fact, wood dust is actually classified as a particulate airborne contaminant.

Plain Old Wood Dust is a Serious Health Hazard
This issue is so serious that the Department of Health and Human Services added wood dust to its official list of "known human carcinogens" and OSHA has identified wood dust as a potential health risk.  Wood dust has been associated with a number of health hazards, including allergies, asthma, skin rashes, and eye, nose and throat irritation.   Studies indicate that up to 13% of woodworkers are afflicted with dust-induced asthma.  Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are also caused by breathing in fine wood dust particles.  Even a rare type of nasal cancer has also been linked to wood dust exposure.  It is estimated that one third of all woodworkers experience some form of adverse health effects due to exposure to wood dust.  Wood dust from table saws and other machinery send vast amounts of harmful particles into the air.

Many wood shops use shop vacuums for dust control instead of using proven dust collection systems.  This is a perfect example of "you get what you pay for".  Shop vacs are great for cleaning out your garage or basement, but a wood shop environment creates far more dust than shop vacs can handle.  There are 2 primary problems with using shop vacuums in woodworking; first, their capacities are generally much smaller than dust collection systems.  Secondly, even if the shop vac happens to have a filter, it isn’t effective enough to trap tiny particles.  These are the particles that can aggravate and irritate the respiratory system.

Workers exposure to wood dust occurs in many industries, including sawmill operations, logging, cabinet makers, furniture manufacturing and paper production.  Woodworking applications that expose workers to large amounts of wood dust particles:

• Sawing
• Drilling
• Routing
• Turning
• Sanding
• Machine repair 

Good housekeeping practices can also help lower the risk of wood dust inhalation.  Dry sweeping and cleaning equipment with compressed air are two of the main causes of airborne wood dust particles.  Symptoms of occupational wood dust asthma include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.  These symptoms may show up within a few months of exposure or may not appear for several years.  Much is dependent on the overall health of the exposed individual and the amount of wood dust they are exposed to.

The solution to this problem is an effective dust collection system.  Dust collectors are specifically designed to remove particulate airborne contaminants at the source.  There is a wide variety of equipment and systems available to choose from, depending on your particular application.  When using this equipment, you should ALWAYS follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.  You should NEVER use PVC plastic piping for dust collection systems.  PVC piping is not designed for dust collection; static electricity can build up and lead to an explosion.  It is highly recommended that you use a metal dust collection piping system so that static electricity won’t be produced.