Face masks

Tom Dunlap said:
From what I’ve read in wood and metal shop environments decent protection doesn’t start until masks with replaceable canisters are used. The ‘bra cup’ type filters aren’t sufficient in the shop. They seem pretty ineffective with pathogen protection too. They do give everyone a ‘warm blanket’ comfort, no doubt
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The respirator heirarchy is kinda - disposable masks, cartridge masks, cannister masks (often full facepiece), air filtration hoods and then supplied air/SCBA. For wood dusts though, you could start with something like:
https:// www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Particulate-Respirator-8210V-N95-80-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294752926&rt=rud
Features: Note the two good solid elastic "holding onto your noggin" straps, the metal bendable nose piece (Remember To Always Pinch The Nosepiece!!!) and the exhalation valve for moisture and what they call N95 - good for smaller dusts - removes 95% of all particulates that are at least 0.3 microns or larger (mould too) - though not as good filtration as N99 or N100 or HEPA etc.
Wood dusts can be allergenic too - especially in asthmatics and especially hardwood dusts or exotic hardwood dusts, say if you're in a woodshop. If you're dealing with a medical condition, you may need to up the game a bit.

Whether the mask you've got is good for this new flu, any mask is better than nothing probably, if just for the fact that they tend to stop people touching their faces - viruses enter through mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth/ throat. Don't rub your eyes or touch your face. Wash hands (hand sanitizers don't always work for viruses). Clorox wipes for doorknobs, light switches etc., if you're worried about, say a workplace where the public comes in and out. Lots of info on CDC website.
https:// www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/n95list1.html
Hope that helps a bit, if you want more info please just ask.
Have a great weekend all.
Cheers
 
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ghostice said:
The respirator heirarchy is kinda - disposable masks, cartridge masks, cannister masks (often full facepiece), air filtration hoods and then supplied air/SCBA. For wood dusts though, you could start with something like:/
https:// www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Particulate-Respirator-8210V-N95-80-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294752926&rt=rud
Features: Note the two good solid elastic "holding onto your noggin" straps, the metal bendable nose piece (Remember To Always Pinch The Nosepiece!!!) and the exhalation valve for moisture and what they call N95 - good for smaller dusts - removes 95% of all particulates that are at least 0.3 microns or larger (mould too) - though not as good filtration as N99 or N100 or HEPA etc.
Wood dusts can be allergenic too - especially in asthmatics and especially hardwood dusts or exotic hardwood dusts, say if you're in a woodshop. If you're dealing with a mecial condition, you may need to up the game a bit.

Whether the mask you've got is good for this new flu, any mask is better than nothing probably, if just for the fact that they tend to stop people touching their faces - viruses enter through mucous membranes in the eyes, nose and mouth/ throat. Don't rub your eyes or touch your face. Wash hands (hand sanitizers don't always work for viruses). Clorox wipes for doorknobs, light switches etc., if you're worried about, say a workplace where the public comes in and out. Lots of info on CDC website.
https:// www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/disp_part/n95list1.html
Hope that helps a bit, if you want more info please just ask.
Have a great weekend all.
Cheers
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Well done !
 
Daniel said:
I heard a radio show about the standard dust mask being better at stopping an infected person from spreading the disease than protecting an uninfected one. I use a respirator with cartridges for stump grinding religiously.
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Heard the same thing. A mask covering an infected person's cough/sneeze is more effective than an uninfected person wearing a mask trying to keep out the germs. They also say that for an uninfected person wearing a mask, they are more likely to touch their face (adjusting the mask) with germy (sp?) hands. And, the heat & humidity under the mask actually gives germs an attractive place to land & stage their next movement into your nose/mouth.
According to CDC with respect to any pathogens, frequent hand washing is the #1 deterrent.

As for working, a balaclava / neck tube to pull up when it gets dusty seems to help. But I'm lucky, I'm not sensitive to dust or pollen or etc.
 
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I use the 3M 8212 N95 "respirator" masks for welding, supposedly they even catch metal vapors. Not sure whether they catch hex chrome but it's worth trying.
Even if they only get the manganese, that's associated with parkinsonism...
 
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Woodwork said:
I use the 3M 8212 N95 "respirator" masks for welding, supposedly they even catch metal vapors. Not sure whether they catch hex chrome but it's worth trying.
Even if they only get the manganese, that's associated with parkinsonism...
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Discussion of welding PPE is kinda off the topic of an arborist website, but suggest you get in touch with your supplier of welding gases (BOC, etc.), for example, and ask what they'd recommend for your particular welding. I generally wouldn't recommend N95 for anything other than mild steel/ occasional welding using full face shield. When you get into galvanized, burning coated metals, and certainly anything like high chrome alloys (chrome 6/ hex chrome - a known carcinogen)/ MIG/ TIG then it's time for local exhaust systems and more considered PPE. But then I was born under the birth sign of the cringing chicken . . . .
 
Huh. I find this all blow-my-mind interesting. I had a fellow (ex-army bud) text me out of the blue early January (he's still serving) and said stock up on face masks...etc. He's a bachelor, but knows that I have 3 little one's, wife ...etc.

So, I ordered a couple boxes, it was maybe 100 masks. Weird, right? He said it was just precautionary. Anyway, then this flu becomes a thing, a couple of weeks later, and now they're (CDC, Health Canada) telling us to maybe buy a bit of extra food. It sort of reminded me of World War Z (the book)!

Well, always good to listen to your good friends!!!

BTW I got an Asperilligus infection, last year, I think, dumping moist, steaming wood chips. They'd stuck to the chip box, and I had to shovel the last few out. I jumped in the truck, and my groundman was like "What are you doing?!"

That night I was completely laid out, and stayed that way for a day. Now, when I dump chips, I don't shovel them out until AFTER I can see all the way to the back of the truck.

Would have been good, to listen to a good groundman!
 
timmysaint said:
That night I was completely laid out, and stayed that way for a day. Now, when I dump chips, I don't shovel them out until AFTER I can see all the way to the back of the truck
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Had to do that a few times, masks were dirtier than the back of the truck, so had to do it by holding breath, going in, scraping, run out and breathe around side of truck, back in again...
 
I'm an RN and I can tell you that the N95 masks are effective at stopping tuberculosis so they do a pretty good job. In addition to cutting, I also do a lot of wood turning and really only wear a respirator when I'm sanding a piece on the lathe and never when using a chainsaw. I hate not being able to see exactly what I'm doing and masks get in the way just enough to be annoying. If I have to use eye protection I like the Bug Eyez mesh goggles because they don't fog. Even cheap masks on a sick person definitely help prevent them from sharing the funk with the rest of us. In the hospital setting, when someone has flu or the like and is being transported within the facility it is standard practice for that patient to wear an N95 outside of their room. The amount of exposure to a pathogen is crucial in determining whether you actually get sick from exposure so any reduction in exposure is worthwhile. You 9-5 tree guys will benefit from wearing anything you want more than wearing nothing.
 
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Lots and lots of information exists out there about wood dust toxicology (lung, nasal, skin, etc.):
some newer:
https:// www.dustri.com/uploads/repository/21/1201914056_al35402_e.pdf
some old:
https:// www.jstor.org/stable/40965520?seq=1
some (not peer reviewed) but food for thought:
http:// www.edensaw.com/MainSite/Store1/Content/SiteContent/1/Home/documents/working_safely_with_wood_final_draft.pdf
or for lots of peer reviewed information, just goto https:// www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed and search "wood dust toxicity" - for example start at citations number 21 or so.
(just take out the spaces before www . . . )
Fine dust - e.g. carbide blades are worse - exotic hardwoods or stuff like yew, are more troublesome, etc.
Cheers
As Daniel said - "Don't you be the filter"
And if you're a smoker, asthmatic etc, one needs to be more careful about inhaling all kinds of wood dusts.
 
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