Symptoms of Inhaling Walnut Sanding Dust?

Joe, I think some people are more sensitive to it than others. I’ve worked a lot of walnut with no respirator or dust collection and I’ve never been bothered by it. Maybe I’ll drop dead tomorrow….

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

I didn’t read through all this, but it is the right topic:
http://lumberjocks.com/BradJacob/blog/14534

Here is more:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/118959-allelopathic-effects-black-walnut/

-- "Too much hurry ruins the body. I'll sit easy … fan the spark" - I. Anderson

I’ve been using a lot of it lately but it only seems to bother me when I bandsaw it. No other black walnut dust bothers me. I find it very wierd.
MIKE

-- See pictures on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/44216106@N07/ And visit my Facebook page - facebook.com/MTEnterprises

mtenterprises- I had the same problem resawing zebrawood (but not sanding it). I think you get enough heat/burning with the bandsaw that it is actually the smoke that bothers you. Just my 2 cents.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

Joe – Different woods have different effects on people. For those with peanut allergies, sanding any kind of walnut can be dangerous.

One resource is the “Wood Database”. There, they list possible effects of all different species.
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-identification/
Look for the section on “Allergies/Toxicity” listed for each species of wood.

Over time, repeated exposure to fine wood dust (the kind that lingers in the air, long after sanding, you can see it only when the sun shines through it in the right light) may lead to permanent lung damage and impaired breathing. Stumpynubs has recently talked about this in his videos.

Then there’s Bill Pentz, who has done extensive testing and research into dust collection and the effects of dust. I believe he’s diluted his message a bit by marketing his cyclone system, but when you go to his site, drill down and read the back story. Bill didn’t get into it for commercial reasons.
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyclone/Introduction.cfm

-- Some problems are best solved with an optimistic approach. Optimism shines a light on alternatives that are otherwise not visible.

gfadvm – Now that was something I had never considered. May try a small fan next time and see what happens.
MIKE

-- See pictures on Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/44216106@N07/ And visit my Facebook page - facebook.com/MTEnterprises

Let me know how that works. I’m 99% sure that was my problem.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

I have a friend who got severe flu-like symptoms after doing a lot of sanding on a walnut cabinet without a dust mask. I also know it is considered toxic for animal bedding. I get a bit of a headache if I am breathing a lot of it, but that could be all in my head…

-- It's the best woodworking show since the invention of wood... New episodes Wednesdays at: http://www.stumpynubs.com

Different strokes, for different folks. I seem ok with Walnut, but, I know a few folks that get bothered by it. I don’t know any o the “symtoms”, etc.

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net