# walnut dust problems



## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

ive been having a more worse then normal allery problem this fall, and im trying to figure out what is causing it, my last project was made out of walnut and there was a lot of sanding involved, is there anyone here in lumberjocks who know if walnut dust can cause such a problem..would like to hear of it if so..thanks…grizz


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

Not sure about walnut dust but, too much hair on your face or wearing red dresses can both cause problems


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Grizz,

It certainly can. Walnut kills me. I love it but I just can't stand it. No other wood except cedar has ever caused me such problems.

Steve


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

well my beard is gone and i sold the red dress..so now what…its always good to get advice from a texican…


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

One of the testers in Wood magazine suffered a severe allergy attack when testing dust collectors due to Walnut. It is not an unheard of reaction to that wood.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Walnut is pretty toxic. Plant a garden near the base of a walnut tree and everything will wilt - I know from experience. So my assumption is that the dust is bad for the lungs.


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## MisterBill (Mar 27, 2012)

From the USDA:

Black walnut produces a toxin, known as "juglone", which inhibits the growth of other plants around it, thereby reducing competition. Juglone deprives sensitive plants of energy needed for photosynthate production. The symptoms of plants being affected by juglone include foliar yellowing, wilting, and eventually death. The largest sources of juglone on the tree are located in the buds, roots, and nut hulls.


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## jap (Oct 10, 2012)

i hate the test of walnut and cough more than usual when i use it


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## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

Walnut is beautiful but the dust can kill. Wear protection.


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## BritBoxmaker (Feb 1, 2010)

I'd watch out on that one, Grizz. It seems I've become borderline asthmatic and my doc thinks the wood dust may have triggered it. Various dust as you can no doubt see from my project page.


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## chief101 (Oct 30, 2009)

I also have problems with walnut dust more than any other. However I use precautions when i'm in the shop either cutting or sanding always. My dad told me during our "Father Son Talk" when I was a young boy "If you can't afford the consequences use protection" . Parallels when working with wood too! LOL


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

Great quote from the "old man" to have in your head Dale. One sentence that can apply to every aspect of your life and would eliminate most problems we encounter if followed. May not have been intended in all of life's meanings but your dad deserves a big Kudo regardless


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

Bingo!
Now get back in that shop without the walnut!
Seriously, if you don't have PERFECT (whatever that is) ventilation, wear a mask when cutting and sanding walnut.


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## Schwieb (Dec 3, 2008)

Walnut dust is very toxic as are many other woods. Like others have said, use dust collection and wear a respirator type air filter. Problem now is you have dust settled all over in you workspace and it will be hard to get rid of it. This is one of the reasons I recently installed a shop air cleaner. It really helps.


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## msmith1199 (Oct 24, 2012)

I just got back to my shop after buying dust masks because I've been cutting up a lot of walnut. I haven't had breathing problems, but it has been making my arms and face itch, so I know it can't be good for the lungs. I'll be wearing the masks from now on.


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## JeanValjean (Mar 6, 2011)

Walnut is more of a sinus antagonist to most people than other species…

I was watching an interview with Norm Abram one day and he mentioned walnut dust as a potential cause for his need to have a sinus surgery performed..


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## scrollgirl (May 28, 2010)

A friend of mine, Mac Simmons wrote an article on different types of wood and possible adverse reactions. If you would like to read it, the link is here:

http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Danger_in_the_Woods.html

I hope it helps provide some additional information.

Sheila


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Tips_Archives/TP124_Toxic_Woods_files/TP124_Images/TOXIC%20WOODS%20CHART.pdf


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## scrollingmom (Aug 27, 2011)

I didn't know that I was allergic to walnut untill we moved to this house. Guess what is planted around this house, yea, you guessed it Black Walnut trees. I'm not talking about babies theses trees are absolutely huge. I would have to say they are at lease 30' tall. In the spring i'm absolutely miserable. It takes a good two weeks on medicine for me to get back to my normal. In the shop I can tell when I need to take a break from making projects with Walnut. Hopefully that wont be the case this year we got a new dust collector. We'll see how good it really is. So take care.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Grizzman,
I used to have allergy/sinus problems when doing alot of sanding…even when using a dust mask and having a shop air filter and a substantial dust collection system hooked to my downdraft table…

I bought a Trend Air Shield Pro several years ago and it is fantastic and worth every penny. No more dust reactions or allergy/sinus headaches or reactions… It is a little high priced but I figure my lungs are worth protecting.

It had another added benefit in that it kept dust out of my eyes…because getting dust in your eyes can really be annoying and uncomfortable.


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## Woodwrecker (Aug 11, 2008)

You aren't going to believe this Grizz.
I just came in and showered after sanding a TON of walnut and I feel like crap.
I sand outside and admittedly, don't wear a mask when outside.
I'm going to have to start wearing it from now on.


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

Griz, I have never hear of Walnut dust doing it.


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## Built2Last (Nov 17, 2008)

Walnut dust from dried lumber is really bad on my sinuses but when milling a green log, it will really knock me for a loop if I don't wear a mask. I usually put a tarp down to catch it and make sure it doesn't mix with the pine, oak, etc because like dehalzelton stated, it will retard the growth of other plants and I put most of my sawdust in the garden. Another thing I do is after sawing or sanding walnut, I make sure to rise my sinuses out with warm salt water, just as soon as I finish.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Had never heard of it in walnut. Very much with aromatic red cedar.


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## Arminius (Dec 27, 2007)

The juglone in walnut is potentially nasty.  I don't have a reaction to it, but I still empty my DC/shavings buckets after walnut to keep the waste stream separate, I compost most other species but walnut goes to the garbage.

Note that it is toxic to horses, causes laminitis. It can also kill dogs.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

well i can certainly see that its a problem, and i will never sand or saw anything without my mask, i would love one of those trend air shields, but it is not affordable on my budget , so Ive got a good mask and im going to wear it , im going to try and vacuum as much of the dust as i can, that is all i can figure to do, im going to rinse my sinuses with this thing called a Nettie pot, its a warm saline solution , i did it tonight and will keep doing it until i fell better, and then do it any time i work in the shop…im going to let the dust settle in the shop until Monday, then go in for a deep clean..thank you everyone for your valued input, Ive been pretty miserable , and don't want to stay this way , that's for sure…grizz


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Grizz, Sorry to hear about your problem. A suggestion: get a Hepa filter for your vac so you won't be blowing superfine dust in the air of your shop when trying to get rid of the walnut dust. Also pay attention to where the exhaust from your vac is blowing for the same reason. Hope you are better soon.


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

Interesting.. walnut is one of the woods I have no problems with. Even with a dust mask, cutting or sanding most woods makes me sneeze for hours, but walnut causes no such reaction for me. It does make for some black boogers tho


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

Walnut is my favorite wood, but it does have an adverse affect on my sinuses. It's really the only negative I can say about this otherwise lovely treasure of a wood


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## Gshepherd (May 16, 2012)

Walnut has not given me any problems but that Santos Mahogany nearly kills me….... I wear a mask now when doing anything with it…...


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

Walnut is bad. Leopardwood is worse!


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