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Sick from working yew?
Hawkdancer:
Reckon I will test the respirator mask!
Aksel:
Thanks for the replies,
I wear a simple mask when sanding and I try do it out doors, but the mask is pretty crap (cheap) so I´m wondering if it does anything at all as it leaves small gaps around nose and sides. Maybe I need to work with gloves and get a good mask.
It seems very individual how sensitive people are to this stuff. I hear some saying they get "high" from just stroking a yew branch. I used to laugh at it but not so sure any more. Maybe not for nothing it was a sacred tree in the past "the tree of life & death".
Maybe leaving it to dry first is a better idea.
simk:
I have never got any reactions to yew, not from dried, not from fresh stuff - but it really seems individual. Also it seems these allergic reactions to yew and other woods can be triggered even after a longer period of regularly working. I would like to avoid this and installed a air cleaning system in my workshop and using a dust ectractor on my machinery.
Del the cat:
I've worked with Yew for many years and suffered no ill effects until fairly recently I found I'd be choughing and wheezing. I think I'd become sensitised over the years (allergies can switch off and on like that). I bought a good ventilated helmet/mask, which works well and I've had no trouble since. I don't use it when using drawknife/spkechave, just when sawing, rasping or sanding.
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2021/09/adjustment-work-and-airshield.html
Del
PS. I subsequently customised the helmet, removing excess weight and fitting lighter batteries (all in the blog)
bownarra:
--- Quote from: simk on July 06, 2022, 05:17:57 am ---I have never got any reactions to yew, not from dried, not from fresh stuff - but it really seems individual. Also it seems these allergic reactions to yew and other woods can be triggered even after a longer period of regularly working. I would like to avoid this and installed a air cleaning system in my workshop and using a dust ectractor on my machinery.
--- End quote ---
I also have an air filtration system and a big extractor.....trouble is these things don't eliminate dust. I had absolutely no issues for about 13 years - it will get you in the end. Toxicity builds up over the years. Mind i've spent the last 15 years making bows almost non-stop. At a 'normal' rate of bow making I reckon I wouldn't have had any issues for most of my life haha
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