Trade Names/Synonyms: Beech; Birch; Mahogany; Maple; Oak; Sapele; Walnut - Hardwoods. Redwood; Teak - Softwoods. Western Red Cedar
OSHA IMIS Code Numbers: 9210 - Hardwood; 9211 - Softwood; W102 - Western Red Cedar
IMIS Name History: W103 - All soft and hard woods, except Western Red Cedar - was discontinued in 4/1993
NIOSH, Registry of Toxic Effects (RTECS) Identification Number:ZC9850000
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, Wood dust: description, physical properties, potentially hazardous incompatibilities, and more
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for General Industry:29 CFR 1910.1000 Z-1 Table -- 15 mg/m3 TWA (Listed under Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated - Total dust)
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for Construction Industry:29 CFR 1926.55 Appendix A -- 15 mg/m3 TWA (Listed under Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated - Total dust)
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for Maritime:29 CFR 1915.1000 Table Z-Shipyards -- 15 mg/m3 TWA (Listed under Particulates Not Otherwise Regulated - Total dust)
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV):
Western red cedar
0.5 mg/m3 TWA*; Sensitizer; Appendix A4 - Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen
All other species
1 mg/m3TWA*
Carcinogenicity
Oak and beech
Appendix A1 - Confirmed Human Carcinogen
Birch, mahogany, teak, walnut
Appendix A2 - Suspected Human Carcinogen
All other wood dusts
Appendix A4 - Not Classifiable as a Human Carcinogen
* Inhalable fraction, see Appendix C, paragraph A
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Recommended Exposure Limit (REL): 1 mg/m3 TWA; Appendix A - NIOSH Potential Occupational Carcinogens
Health Effects: Nasal cancer (HE1); Respiratory sensitization---Asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HE9); Irritation- Eye, Nose, Throat, Skin---Marked (HE14)
Affected organs: Eyes, skin, respiratory system
Note: Minimizing dust levels at work sites will go a long way to decrease damage to employee health.
Date Last Revised: 03/18/2008
Literature Basis:
No authors listed: Wood Dust. Report on Carcinogens, Eleventh Edition; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program, 2005. [209 KB, PDF]
sampling media: tared 37-mm diameter low-ash polyvinyl chloride filter
maximum volume: 960 Liters maximum flow rate: 2 L/min
current analytical method: gravimetric
method reference: OSHA Analytical Method (OSHA PV2121)
method classification: partially validated
note: OSHA personnel must obtain tared sampling media from SLTC. DO NOT USE CYCLONE! Respirable dust not included for compliance purposes, as per Standard Interpretation between NIOSH and OSHA - April 22, 1993.
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