Is chipper dust something we should be worried about.

[Arborworks Ltd]

Oak is aswell

[Arborworks Ltd]

Kowhai (sophora) dust is apparently carconogenic but i doubt you get many of em in england.

Oak is aswell

[Andy Collins]

H&S latest requirements for chipping hazardous green waste. Options include clear lenses, Darth Vader voice controller and cigarette holder

[kdoidge]

Lets face it, we have all had some/lots of contact with airbourne dust/wood chip, to some degree or other, no matter how long we've been in the game.

 

I am assuming that no one regularly uses face masks whilst Chipping/Cutting.........................or do you?

 

I'm trying to look at this from both LA and commercial, cause we are all in the same boat, with regards to exposure, whether or not you write and stick to R/A or not.

 

I don't know of any research in to the toxicology of contaminated wood chip/dust....................anyone?

 

Is anyone concerned as to the long term negative health aspects we are potentially exposing ourselves to?

 

Or should we all take up/restart smoking, to give our lungs a good thick coat of tar to ward off any nasty cancerous wood particles

 

.

our lungs are designed for air anything else going in has got to be considered potentially harmful,talking to a tutor at myerscough last year he was saying wear a mask when chipping due to airborne pollution on the leaves.Have heard of nasal cancer in furniture factories (foreign hardwoods)and from pine pollen,sheep can get cancer from bracken spores(anyone for a spot of bracken whipping?)What with this and HAVS,MSD and RIDDOR who said working outside was healthy?The thing is to be informed,get the PPE and use it,better safe than sorry and hope we havent already done ourselves harm.The asbestos situation is a tragic example. cheers now keith

[Nomad]

Any dust particles or fungal spores are potentially harmful to your lungs. Then there's the exhaust fumes but the biggy in my opinion is chain oil. I read somewhere years ago that Stihl reckoned the professional saw user can inhale up to 1 litre of chain oil per year. It is not a healthy profession in respect to your lungs at all. I dare say most of us on here are under physical exertion most of the time while working and therefore taking deeper breaths as well.

[Stephen Blair]

i was always told to watch out for yew, in the old days when they cut them with hedge knives they would tie a hanky round their mouths.

 

i wear a disposable mask when cutting them.

always some in the mog.

[Mesterh]

Reading another post somewhere laburnum wood is apparently poisonous(I thought it was just the seeds) so assume the dust will be aswell.

[John Hancock]

I found out a while ago that both my tutors / NPTC assessors are now dead! Cancer apparently (and they didn’t smoke). There may well be no connection with the industry, but its one hell of a coincidence

[kimtree]

Ive had the smallest speck of african mahogany get into my eye on 2 occaisons,it makes your vision go blurry for up to 4 hours

 

When milling or chipping raintree wearing a mask is essential without it your nose starts running and the taste of the dust is bloody awfull

[MattyF]

Any dust particles or fungal spores are potentially harmful to your lungs. Then there's the exhaust fumes but the biggy in my opinion is chain oil. I read somewhere years ago that Stihl reckoned the professional saw user can inhale up to 1 litre of chain oil per year. It is not a healthy profession in respect to your lungs at all. I dare say most of us on here are under physical exertion most of the time while working and therefore taking deeper breaths as well.

 

you can see on a bright day when you rev a climbing saw how much oil hangs in the air exactly why i switched to bio,i am convinced i feel better and less fatigued and dont get ill as often ,especially chest infections.

 

Imo masks are needed when cutting dead wood especially on a saw bench ill evan wear them stripping ivey.

 

Personally i think its amazing that london plains have not been linked to half the inner citys respatory problems where planted as street trees and felled!