Well, in wood work I was sanding a bit of MDF with no mask, and it was quite dusty as it was like a big plank, I was sanding it and then my Woodwork teacher told me people get cancer from breathing in MDF dust, now i'm quite scared, if you have any questions i'll add it in.
I breathed in a bit I guess, I feel a bit ill, i guess thats just with worry.
I was just wondering, whats going to happen?
thewrangler_sw
Favorite Answer
Ok... first off... I have never heard of any case of cancer caused by breathing in MDF dust. I recall one study that showed a POSSIBLE "specific" cancer risk to mice or rats, that had been massively overexposed to certain softwood dust. And it was NOT a type of cancer in humans.
There have been lots of studies of all kinds with lab mice and rats... and you know what? ANYTHING in a massive overdose will cause problems.
MDF is not carcinogenic from a single exposure. It has not even been shown to cause cancer from repeated exposure over many years.
If you ate about a pound of it, at one sitting, it could make you sick, possibly kill you, if you were a small individual.
MDF is made of wood which has been ground into a flour. Which type of wood depends on where it is made, but most of the time it is a mix of hard and soft woods. The 'glue', or binding agent, is a combination of formaldehyde, and/or isocyanates. It has not been shown to be a problem with 'off gassing' the formaldehyde during machining, over a period of time.
What you ARE likely to experience, is an allergic reaction, or irritation, from contact. Isocyanates are used in a lot of manufacturing processes.... if you smell it... you're already overexposed. The result? Flu like symptoms. Formaldehyde has also been shown to cause some respiratory irritation, as has several types of wood dust.
The most common complaints from breathing in MDF, or any wood dust, are runny nose, and eyes.... if you were to get a good dose in your lungs, you'd probably have some signs of bronchitis. You'd be coughing, trying to clear it out of your lungs. This would clear up in a matter of days.
Constant repeated exposure to any kind of wood dust may make you more sensitive to colds... your colds would seem to hang on longer, etc.
Now.... while you should be reassured that you're not going to develop cancer because you breathed in the dust one time....you should NOT make a practice of doing any kind of wood sanding without a dust mask. A common NIOSH approved dust mask (which you can find at any hardware store) will protect you. At certain times of the year, you may suffer more from pollen in the air, than wood dust... but its a good idea to limit exposure where you can. That's just a good policy to live by.
Here is a link to a Material Data Safety Sheet from Temple Inland, a manufacturer of MDF -
http://www.templeinland.com/PDF/msds/mdf_msds.pdf
In it, you can see all the known or potential hazards and recommended limitations of exposure.
It is always a good idea to work safely. Limit your exposure to any kinds of dust, whether it be wood, MDF, even talcum powder, or dust from farming, landscaping, etc.... Why suffer the possible irritation when you don't have to?
If you suffer from asthma, you may have a more severe reaction to dust irritation than those who don't.
While we are on the subject of safety in the work place -- You should be wearing hearing protection when any machinery is running. I know woodworking equipment can be quite noisy, hehehe. Wear ear plugs or 'muffs', whichever is more comfortable for you. Always wear safety glasses. Use a dust mask whenever sanding, and a respirator mask when using chemicals (a dust mask with a charcoal filter lining will handle most situations, but there may be an occasion or two, when you should wear a full respirator). The saws should have safety gaurds installed at ALL TIMES. There is no excuse for running a saw without a gaurd. There is ALWAYS some way to protect your fingers from the blade, no matter what you are running on the saw... I know, I've built a lot of jigs and fixtures myself over the years...even using saws to create corner trim, and moulding!
Always be aware of the machine, and the cut off switch. CARELESSNESS causes more accidents than anything else in the workplace. I once had an employee, who had worked in the woodworking industry for over 40 years....he got in too big of a hurry, and pushed his thumb into a table saw blade... and there were several push sticks laying right there on top of the saw.
Be Safe -- and Have Fun (woodworking has been a lifelong enjoyment of my own)
?
1
?
Working With Mdf
Anonymous
Mdf Dust
Noelle
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
Oh dear.. MDF Wood dust...?
Well, in wood work I was sanding a bit of MDF with no mask, and it was quite dusty as it was like a big plank, I was sanding it and then my Woodwork teacher told me people get cancer from breathing in MDF dust, now i'm quite scared, if you have any questions i'll add it in.
I breathed in a bit I...