Mdf dust eye irritation

[Steve Blackdog]

I woke up today with a really sore eye. Yesterday I was doing some fine sanding on an mdf router template for about half an hour or so. I had my specs on, but not protective goggles.

Could there be a connection?

Cheers
Steve

 

[Deansocial]

don't know but it make my head itch like crazy

 

[tomasg]

Tis hard to get it out of your eye especally if your eye pockets are deep
I couldnt get the dust out with all the onions in the house
i had to spend an hour in hospital with a drip holding my eye open
ill only use plywood again.

 

[cambournepete]

I always wear a respirator when working with MDF and use dust extraction.
I assume your sander was connected to an extractor?

 

[tomatwark]

I find some batches of MDF cause me more irritation than others, I have to always were long sleved tops when cutting it as I get a red itchy rash on my arms if I don't.

This is something that has only happened in the last 10 years or so, I guess i have become more sensitive to the dust over time.

Tom

 

[Lee Brubaker]

I simply refuse to allow that crap into my shop. It is not worth the health risks that it poses.

Lee

 

[Deansocial]

I simply refuse to allow that rubbish into my shop. It is not worth the health risks that it poses.

Lee

do you do the same for alot of the hardwoods that are just as bad some even worse?

 

[Steve Blackdog]

I had no extraction going as I was not using power tools - just a scrap of 80grit on a block! And for about 20 mins.

I'm now convinced it was the mdf. The irritation only lasted 24 hours. I also got a very blocked up nose. A hayfever tab made a big difference.

Next time I work on mdf I will use goggles and a mask.

By comparison I was able to work on a nice piece of american cherry for hours with no adverse consequences yesterday.

I think this is a warning to all mdf users - including me!

Cheers

Steve

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Hi Deansocial: None of the hardwoods that I use produce the fine dust that results from
machining/sanding MDF. Some hardwoods will produce allergies & once identified a user can avoid them. MDF dust however includes adhesive which once in your lungs is there for the rest of your life. Hence, your kind of comparing apples to oranges.

Lee

 

[cambournepete]

I had no extraction going as I was not using power tools - just a scrap of 80grit on a block! And for about 20 mins.

I've got one of these Mirka sanding blocks which connects to an extractor and works very well.
Worth getting if you plan to do much flat hand sanding of MDF.

 

[Deansocial]

Hi Deansocial: None of the hardwoods that I use produce the fine dust that results from
machining/sanding MDF. Some hardwoods will produce allergies & once identified a user can avoid them. MDF dust however includes adhesive which once in your lungs is there for the rest of your life. Hence, your kind of comparing apples to oranges.

Lee

i try and find the HSE sheet for you that clearly states on a number of woods reduced lung function, and i think yew states cardiac effects and wenge central nervous system effects eg giddiness, drowsiness, visual disturbance, abdominal cramps hardy anything to be laughed at!!

all wood dust makes my head itch

never had a problem with mdf because i alway use an extractor, Carcasing timber gives me dermititis with hurts like hell at times

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis30.pdf

 

[chippy1970]

Well said Dean

I use MDF all the time but I make sure I use an extractor and if not a dust mask. I cannot understand people who treat MDF like it was something sent by the devil :roll: its just another material to do a job and it does its job very well.

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Well using MDF is something akin to smoking filter tip cigarettes. The dust is very fine hence penetrates deeply into the lungs as does inhaling through filter tip cigarettes. Now then a good test of the dust capturing ability of your extractor bags at night turn off the lights & have someone shine a flashlight angled across the dust bag while machining MDF with the extractor running. Please don't tell me you didn't see anything because MDF dust is finer than 2 microns. Some of course is caught but a scary amount is not & your breathing it.

Lee

 

[chippy1970]

Well Im pretty sure im safe with my Festool extractor it has 2 filters the bag and the filter which filter down to 1 micron. Yeah I bet it doesnt get it all of the dust but it gets most of it.

 

[Deansocial]

Well Im pretty sure im safe with my Festool extractor it has 2 filters the bag and the filter which filter down to 1 micron. Yeah I bet it doesnt get it all of the dust but it gets most of it.

ditto

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Whatever guys....it is really a matter of what you feel comfortable with.

Lee

 

[jaywhoopee]

Well said Dean

I use MDF all the time but I make sure I use an extractor and if not a dust mask. I cannot understand people who treat MDF like it was something sent by the devil :roll: its just another material to do a job and it does its job very well.

Are you saying you don't wear a mask when you have an extractor going?

From what I've read most extraction will not catch the fine MDF dusts that cause the worst problems and since they're not visible to the naked eye you're unlikely to notice this even with the torch test someone else mentioned.

I try to do any MDF work outside if possible and wear a P2 or P3 mask whether I'm using extraction or not (and carry on wearing it for a few hours afterwards if I think there's a chance of the dust still being airborne in my workshop).

 

[jaywhoopee]

Well Im pretty sure im safe with my Festool extractor it has 2 filters the bag and the filter which filter down to 1 micron. Yeah I bet it doesnt get it all of the dust but it gets most of it.

I believe to catch the fine MDF dust that figure needs to be 0.5 microns or less - probably the HEPA 0.3 microns.

Using both extraction and a mask is probably safest, and bear in mind that the dust will stay in the air for ages after you stop the tool/machine, so keep the mask on ...

 

[Eric The Viking]

... bear in mind that the dust will stay in the air for ages after you stop the tool/machine, so keep the mask on.

I was making a jig the other day on the router table (MDF), and had a strong backlight (300W halogen), so could see fine dust particles in a way I don't usually. I was using a vacuum extractor, but it was alarming how quickly the dust rose high above the table - far more so than I thought it would - even though I was only using a 1/4" cutter on 12mm stock.

Within about two seconds it was three feet or more up, above my head height. This was in large part because of the fan on the router blowing dust straight up, but it wasn't caught by the vacuum nozzle as I thought it should be.

I think I'll be getting a respirator if I have a lot of MDF to do!

E.