Allergy To Wood

[IL Bull]

I was sawing some osage orange yesterday to make a mall handle.  All of a sudden I started sneezing and my eyes started watering just like I was in a house with cats (I have a bad allergy to cats). 
When I got into the house my face was all blotchy and my eyes were bloodshot.  I have sawed lots of osage on my mill and I have never had this problem.
Has anyone eles had any problems like this?  ??? 

[thedeeredude]

When I'm around any kind of wood dust I sneeze and my nose goes crazy.  I guess I should try a different hobby.  NAHHHHH.  Try using a dust mask when sawing wood that makes you sneeze.

[IL Bull]

Now that's is some great advise. 8)   I use a dust mask when cutting poles.  Thanks.  Why didn't I think of that. ???  I even went back out Sunday and worked on it some more until I got all plugged up, just to make sure I wasn't imagining things.  Sure enough I wasn't.   Thank heavens for Sine-off. :P :D

[Bill]

Reminds me of the time I got poison ivy in January - I used to be an asst scoutmaster and we went camping once a month except July & August. Well in January the kids were having trouble finding firewood - heck it was all over the place but for the snow on it. Being moved to show the young'uns how its done I hefted a pretty good sized log onto my shoulder and brought it over to the fire ring. Burned it all night and into the next day. When we got home I took a shower and saw that my neck ear and side of my face were covered with P I ! Dang log had a vine I wasn't paying attention to that let its oil out when I carried it on my shoulder.

So back to your sneezing ( hope I didn't put ya to sleep ) , maybe there's some bush or vine or &*$% on that osage orange you're cutting into and you could be lucky and just need to clean it off. ( I have a few allergies and they're a pain - figure when I grow up they'll go away - least I've been saying that for 30 yrs )

Good Luck

[sjh]

I know a guy who is allergic to black walnut. He cut some b.w. up in the summer with just a pair of shorts on. He spent the next 3 weeks in the hospital. It almost killed him. The same chemical that kills horses is what he is allergic to.

[Paschale]

From what I understand, an allergy to wood is something that can occur over time, and quite a bit of exposure.  I know it's been discussed at length on the forum from time to time. 

A little digging turned up a few posts on the subject:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=8991.msg121773#msg121773

Here's a discussion that Jeff started about his own allergic reaction to ash:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=3579.0

We only have one pair of lungs...gotta take care of 'em!

[Burlkraft]

It's Bocote for me. I was turnin' some once and by the time I realized what was goin' on it was waaaayyy too late :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

It took me 2 weeks to get almost back to normal. I make sure I stay away from Bocote now ;) ;)

[Don_Papenburg]

You will have to convert to a circular saw mill  , then you will be making  little chips insted of dust.

[getoverit]

I spent 25 years working for a chemical company making synthetic flavorings and perfume bases. It was the same stuff day after day, year after year. One day I walked into the lab and had a strong allergic reaction, and found out the reaction was to a chemical I had used with no problems for over 20 years.... I had grown allergic to it. Now I cant be within 50 feet of it or my eyes swell shut as does my nose, and if I dont get away from it my tongue will peel. Until then, I didnt even know that your tongue could peel 

[CHARLIE]

I haven't been allergic to any types of wood that I know of.  One of the men in my woodturning club said that continued exposure to sawdust might cause you to have an allergic reaction someday to it.  He said that since he loves working with wood, he always wears a good dust mask so he won't ever become allergic to it.  I wore a dust mask sometimes but not always until the other day I was turning and sanding some eastern red cedar.  That night I thought I was going to die.  I was miserable for a week hacking and coughing.  So.....I reckon I developed an allergy to eastern red cedar.  Now I wear my dust mask whenever I'm sanding any wood.

I've also heard that if you are allergic to something, that each time you have a reaction to it..., your sensitivity to it gets worse and someday it could kill you.

[crtreedude]

Bocote is very similar to Cocobolo. Some people are alergic to it, others aren't. If you are alergic to cocobolo, your reaction can be very similar to poison ivy.

[Faron]

I developed an allergy to tulip poplar and sassafras.  Woke up one night after sawing on a pretty hot day with my eyes about swollen shut.  I only had that severe a reaction one time, but when those sawdusts get on my arms it kind of burns like pepper or something.

[rebocardo]

Could have been some mold.
 

[UNCLEBUCK]

If I sand cedar or mahogany without my dust mask my eyes will water and I will get nosebleeds in a few hours and my nose will hurt so bad I cant touch it , only took two years without a mask to develope this condition and I wish I could go back those 2 years and start over with a dust mask .