Health Concerns Spur Wood Dust Requirements.It's back to square one as wood dust regulations are under review.Today's technology is able to cut and sand wood products at higher speeds than ever before. It also generates scrap and wood dust particles at faster rates than ever before. In order to maintain the safety and health of the workforce, companies are investing in efficient dust control systems, including downdraft tables and booths, to remove the wood dust particles from the air. For more than 30 years, various studies have linked the effects of wood dust exposure to forms of nasal and sinus cancer. The issue reached international attention in when IARC (the France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, or CIRC in its French acronym) is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations. Its main offices are in Lyon, France. ), after reviewing available evidence, concluded that wood dust is carcinogenic carcinogenic having a capacity for carcinogenesis. to humans. In making the statement, IARC cited information garnered from more than 350 studies. Currently, the American Conference American Conference may refer to:
n. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a branch of the US Department of Labor responsible for establishing and enforcing safety and health standards in the workplace. a proposal to revise the exposure limit for wood dust to 2 milligrams per cubic meter Noun 1. cubic meter - a metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 1000 liters cubic metre, kiloliter, kilolitre metric capacity unit - a capacity unit defined in metric terms (mg/[m.sup.3]) threshold limit value threshold limit value n. Abbr. TLV The maximum concentration of a chemical allowable for repeated exposure without producing adverse health effects. for both hardwood dust, which it classifies as Group 1: Carcinogenic to Humans, and softwood dust, which is classified under Group 4: Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen carcinogen: see cancer. carcinogen Agent that can cause cancer. Exposure to one or more carcinogens, including certain chemicals, radiation, and certain viruses, can initiate cancer under conditions not completely understood. . If adopted, it would increase the exposure limits of hardwood dust, currently at 1 mg/[m.sup.3], while decreasing the exposure limits of softwood, set at 5 mg/[m.sup.3]. If passed, this new limit would still be well below the 5 mg/[m.sup.3] lobbied for by the Inter-Industry Wood Dust Coordinating Committee back in 1989. To ensure that industry's needs are met in these and future rulings, the IIWDCC, along with Tulane University Medical Research Center, is conducting a $2 million, six-year multiple-plant study of wood dust and worker health. Now in its second year, the study involves periodic respiratory function testing and wood dust exposure monitoring of 5,000 to 6,000 workers in 12 wood and wood products facilities. According to the IIWDCC, results of the study will help ensure that future federal and state standards have a sound scientific basis. |
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