Emphysema

[barbara dill]

Has there been much talk about shop dust and emphysema??? I, for one, have ben a bit careless about using my dust collection system. I use it when I'm sanding but I tell myself that green wood has no dust....until the sun ray catches the dust particles in the air. Oops. Mistake. I just had a chest CT recommended by my physician because I complained of coughing at night, really being afraid that my history of smoking for more than 25 years had caused cancer.... So I was told today that I do not have lung cancer, but I do have emphysema. So I bought a comfortable dust mask rated at 100% at my local Woodcraft. And I will follow up with my doc to see what else I can do to keep this from being worse. I am 68 y/o and wonder how the rest of the wood turning community is dealing with this potential hazard of our passion of turning.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

i use the old trend, my mentor Terrry Mitchell, placed emphasis on dust protection

 

[Rob Wallace]

Look into high efficiency PAPR systems

Barbara:

You might want to investigate PAPR (Powered Air Personal Respirator) systems or supplied air PAPR systems as an alternative to a 'filter on face' apparatus. If you have been documented with emphysema, you will certainly want the best respiratory protection available. (Actually we all should, but obviously cost is a major factor.)

There are several companies that supply these PAPR systems (Scott, 3M, etc.). You can do some searching on the internet for HEPA filtered systems with micron or sub-micron particle ratings for maximum filtration efficiency.

Obviously, an efficient dust collection system with efficient filtration, high air flow, etc. is also a must for reducing environmental particulate contaminants.

Sorry to hear of the emphysema diagnosis, but this is manageable; the alternative is far worse. We are losing one of our chapter members to cancer very soon; it isn't a good situation.

Rob

 

[Hu Lowery]

choices

Has there been much talk about shop dust and emphysema??? I, for one, have ben a bit careless about using my dust collection system. I use it when I'm sanding but I tell myself that green wood has no dust....until the sun ray catches the dust particles in the air. Oops. Mistake. I just had a chest CT recommended by my physician because I complained of coughing at night, really being afraid that my history of smoking for more than 25 years had caused cancer.... So I was told today that I do not have lung cancer, but I do have emphysema. So I bought a comfortable dust mask rated at 100% at my local Woodcraft. And I will follow up with my doc to see what else I can do to keep this from being worse. I am 68 y/o and wonder how the rest of the wood turning community is dealing with this potential hazard of our passion of turning.

Right now I have lung issues certainly caused by iso-cyanates and very probably asbestos as I have had a good bit of exposure in multiple occupations. Nothing comes close to working as well for me as supplied air. I assume the trend type hoods have a positive pressure filtered system too.

Hopefully your emphysema will not cause you major issues. I lost my grandmother, a friend, and the mother of a friend to emphysema and without meaning to sound scary it is a horrible way to go. I recommend using your dust control system anytime it seems even slightly indicated and use a powered filtering system or if it will work with something else for protection, there is a very lightweight supplied air hood. The material is very light canvas, about the same as blue jeans and there is a generous sized face shield. Used it sand blasting years ago and no longer remember where I got it or any information.

There are activated charcoal filter canisters that are fairly inexpensive, I bought one for $120 back in the eighties that was over a foot tall and about eight inches diameter. Oil and water traps in front of it and then the activated charcoal filter made it safe to breathe air coming from my air compressor.

I am a little curious about your dust mask. While I haven't been looking at such things closely lately I did a good bit of homework on breathing air safety in the eighties, nineties and early 2000's. Not full time or anything just when I had to get equipment to work with. I have never seen anything rated 100%. Perhaps the mask is rated to keep out 100% of comparatively large chunks?

 

[Bill Boehme]

Hu, I suspect that what Barbara is referring to is a dust mask rated N100 which means that it is a HEPA filter. HEPA filters trap 99 point something percent of particles down to 0.3 microns if my memory isn't too far off. I would agree with Rob's recommendation and that is what I use ... or should use ... sometimes I neglect to use it when I say to myself that I am just doing a little quick project and tell myself that I won't breathe while I am working on the project. Later, when I finish hawking up what was once a tree and blowing my nose, I realize that I actually was breathing. Perhaps the size of a project is not an indicator of whether or not it produces dust. Like Barbara, a ray of sunlight lets me know that the air is a lot dustier than I think that it is.

Anyway, I have the 3M Airstream PAPR which uses a HEPA filter which means that it has a rating of P100 (the P and N refer to whether the filter is used with positive or negative air pressure). It has an airflow of 10 CFM which makes it tolerable in the heat of Texas summers as long as the temperature is less than 100° F (my studio is the great outdoors so no air conditioning). The 3M Airstream and 3M BreatheEasy are the best PAPR headgear units available.

 

[Hu Lowery]

gotta go that route as soon as I can afford to

Hu, I suspect that what Barbara is referring to is a dust mask rated N100 which means that it is a HEPA filter. HEPA filters trap 99 point something percent of particles down to 0.3 microns if my memory isn't too far off. I would agree with Rob's recommendation and that is what I use ... or should use ... sometimes I neglect to use it when I say to myself that I am just doing a little quick project and tell myself that I won't breathe while I am working on the project. Later, when I finish hawking up what was once a tree and blowing my nose, I realize that I actually was breathing. Perhaps the size of a project is not an indicator of whether or not it produces dust. Like Barbara, a ray of sunlight lets me know that the air is a lot dustier than I think that it is.

Anyway, I have the 3M Airstream PAPR which uses a HEPA filter which means that it has a rating of P100 (the P and N refer to whether the filter is used with positive or negative air pressure). It has an airflow of 10 CFM which makes it tolerable in the heat of Texas summers as long as the temperature is less than 100° F (my studio is the great outdoors so no air conditioning). The 3M Airstream and 3M BreatheEasy are the best PAPR headgear units available.

Bill,

I have to go to a pressurized system of some variety soon myself. I try to minimize exposure but like you empirical evidence proves I am far from 100% successful in my efforts! Got to spend most of the coming week sanding and finishing . . .

After spending months standing in a puddle of sweat while turning it is very nice that they have the AC going in our shops. Somehow I have a feeling we may get tired of the cool before spring though!

Hu

 

[Brian McInturff]

Has anyone tried 3M's new Versaflo PAPR? Looks like an upgrade to the Airstream.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Has anyone tried 3M's new Versaflo PAPR? Looks like an upgrade to the Airstream.

Actually, it is a replacement for the BreatheEasy which was discontinued a few years ago (or at least some of the configurations had been discontinued). The Versaflo has a wide variety of configurations and also has heavy duty industrial versions for industrial size prices.

 

[Malcolm Zander]

Powered respirator solution

Barbara, my solution is on p.25 of the April 2010 American Woodturner. It looks unwieldy but in fact is very comfortable and I can wear it all day. It provides clean room temperature filtered house air. I have described this setup to a number of audiences. One individual who had quit turning due to asthma picked up on this and bought a powered respirator at a discount and hooked it up to such a duct system. He can now turn again with no breathing/asthma issues. I can put you in contact with him and give you supplementary details if you wish.

Malcolm

 

[Bill Boehme]

I noticed that Airware America has one refurbished 3M Airstream AS400 for $750 which is nearly $250 less than a new one. It appears that the only old parts are the helmet, visor frame, and maybe some other small parts. The blower assembly, headband and suspension, temple seals, visor, and battery are new. The price of a new battery is amazing -- I think that when I bought my system seven years ago, it was a little over $100. Next time I checked, it was $150. A year ago, it was $200. And now, it is nearing $300. I am still using the original battery and it has taken some abuse, but still going strong.

 

[idahohay]

Barbara, sorry to hear about the emphysema. Another tool not mentioned in the fight against dust is the air filtration systems offered by a number of manufacturers, such as Jet/Powermatic, JDS, Shop Fox, that hang from the ceiling. In most shops just moving around can stir up those particles you see in the sunlight and this type of filter can help with that.

 

[Rick Doganiero]

Don't forget to try and quit smoking.... plenty of particulate matter along with other undesirable things.

 

[herb]

dust stuff

Hi,

I bought a particle meter that measures particles down to 1 micron. This gives me a good read on my shop atmosphere. And yes, turning green wood fouls the atmosphere to very poor.

The ambient air cleaner will clean it to "very good" within 20 minutes. I have a smallish shop (300 sq. feet.)

I use this meter often to know how much protection I need.

Herb

 

[Rob Wallace]

More information on the 'particle meter' please.....

Hi,

I bought a particle meter that measures particles down to 1 micron. This gives me a good read on my shop atmosphere. And yes, turning green wood fouls the atmosphere to very poor.

The ambient air cleaner will clean it to "very good" within 20 minutes. I have a smallish shop (300 sq. feet.)

I use this meter often to know how much protection I need.

Herb

Herb:

Can you tell us a bit more about the particle meter? Brand/Model? Price? Source/Vendor? How it works? etc. Is it a particle SIZE meter or a particle COUNTER in a given volume of air?

I am interested to learn whether this is an affordable means of measuring particle density (and/or particle size) in air. If these devices actually work and are not too expensive, it is something that we can promote as an instrument to be used to evaluate individual shop air quality conditions. For example, chapters might consider buying a unit and loaning it to members to evaluate their own shops. Can you please provide more information about this instrument?

Thanks,

Rob Wallace, Chair
AAW Safety Committee

 

[Donna Banfield]

Barb, so sorry to hear about the emphysema. I know it's pricey, but I use an Airstream Helmet. I made that decision after Joan Kelly's accident in 2010. I was lucky that I found one used on EBay, and several filters and a smart charger a few months later for a good deal. If you're willing to spend some time searching they turn up every now and then.

This is the older style, with the filter/battery worn on a belt, but it doesn't bother me at all. It's much more comfortable than the Trend Helmet that I tried and eventually abandoned because of chronic neck pain for several months. Too much of the weight is concentrated on the front forehead for me.

On a related topic, I know that many of us have 4-legged shop buddies that are with us. Ever wonder what that dust can do to them? Eddie, my 12.5 year old English Pointer, has spent nearly every day with me in my shop since I adopted him when he was 2 years old.

Over the past year he has been treated for a chronic cough similar to Kennel Cough, but that was ruled out early on. He gets immunized for that twice a year, plus he doesn't come into contact with other dogs at this point in his life. Last Friday I learned that he has chronic bronchitis, not unusual for a dog with nearly 13 year old lungs. My Vet can't definitively say whether dust that was raised while I was working in the shop contributed to this condition, but I'm going to be more cautious about what I'm doing when Eddie is in the shop with me. I run the 2 air filters, but that may not have been enough. As far as I know, there's no Airstream or Trend Helmets for animals. Besides looking ridiculous, I doubt he would wear it.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Barb, so sorry to hear about the emphysema. I know it's pricey, but I use an Airstream Helmet. I made that decision after Joan Kelly's accident in 2010. I was lucky that I found one used on EBay, and several filters and a smart charger a few months later for a good deal. If you're willing to spend some time searching they turn up every now and then.

This is the older style, with the filter/battery worn on a belt, but it doesn't bother me at all. It's much more comfortable than the Trend Helmet that I tried and eventually abandoned because of chronic neck pain for several months. Too much of the weight is concentrated on the front forehead for me.

That is the 3M BreatheEasy and not the Airstream. The Airstream has always had the blower and filter in the helmet even when it was first made by Racal.

The helmet version of the BreatheEasy is no longer being sold, but you can still get all of the parts although some of them are rather pricey. The advantage of the BreatheEasy is that there were a number of filter options depending on the intended use. With the Airstream, there is only one filter choice, the HEPA dust filter. Thankfully, the filter on the Airstream is very large and lasts for a very long time because it is quite a chore to change it -- count on 30 minutes if you already know the procedure well.

The difference in helmet weight between the BreatheEasy and the Airstream is just a few ounces and both are very comfortable. Based on comments by friends who have the Trend and Trend Pro they feel a bit off balance.

 

[herb]

particle meter

I got this idea from a previous post. It is Dylos DC 1100 Air Quality Monitor. It display small particles per volume, lower limit is one micron. Also displays large particles also - around 5 microns. The measured values are scaled and there is also a number that tells you particles per .01 foot of sampled air. There is a rating scale from excellent to very poor.

small particles include fine dust, bacteria, mold, smoke, etc.

Large particles include coarse dust, pollen, plant, spores - and here is the one you'll love - dust mite feces.

I live in Colorado and when we had large fires in the mountains I took it outside and the air quality measured poor.

Inside, with windows closed and AC on, it measured good to fair.

It is not cheap - $200, but I think our health is worth that.

Herb

 

[Rob Wallace]

Thanks herb!

I will run this by one of our members who is an industrial hygienist and see what his recommendation is. Actually, $200 is not a lot of money, particularly (pun intended!) if a club or chapter buys the instrument and loans it out to its members to check their own shop air quality and evaluate their dust collection filtration performance, or assess levels of other air quality issues.

Thanks for the information!

Rob

 

[Bob Chapman]

Barbara, sorry to hear of your problems but they seem similar to my own. I've always been careful about dust and have four dust extractors and a JET air filter as well as an extractor fan to the outside if dust seems heavy. I always wear a half face mask with P3 filters when alone (not sure whether P3 is a European standard or whether it will mean anything to you in the US) and am fine as long as I do. The problem is when I'm teaching or demonstrating and I have to talk to people - difficult with a mask on.

After a day's teaching I start sneezing and get a runny nose and it's just as if I have a very heavy cold. This can last anything up to a couple of days - just enough to take me to the next lesson, in fact!

I also started coughing at night (not during the day) and my doctor told me this was a symptom of asthma and gave me an inhaler (a brown one that also has a steroid in it). This solved the problem ( or rather stopped the symptoms) and I no longer cough.

The only way forward for me is to wear the mask diligently, even if it means eventually giving up teaching.

Keep well.

Bob

 

[AlanZ]

Bill,

The Racal and some 3m versions of the two piece Breathe Easy systems (with belt packs) do carry the Airstream designation on many of the units. The Airstream name appeared on the helmet and on the label on the fan/filter pack (it says Airstream Breath Easy). Later on, the Airstream name was limited to the one piece unit.

I also don't understand the chore in changing an AirStream filter... Takes me only a couple of minutes.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Bill,

The Racal and some 3m versions of the two piece Breathe Easy systems (with belt packs) do carry the Airstream designation on many of the units. The Airstream name appeared on the helmet and on the label on the fan/filter pack (it says Airstream Breath Easy). Later on, the Airstream name was limited to the one piece unit.

I also don't understand the chore in changing an AirStream filter... Takes me only a couple of minutes.

But then you have a whole stable full of them.

For me, I was including all of the necessary time to scratch my head, locate my spare filter, get tools, searching for the nylon twist lock fasteners that I dropped on the floor, removing everything at least once to re-do something that I forgot the first time, etc. Actually, it is not nearly that bad, but it is certainly much more than changing the cartridge type filters on the BreatheEasy.

That is interesting about the original naming of the BreatheEasy, but I suppose that it makes sense since they both evolved from the same original design.

 

[KellyDunn]

Bill, i have the old Racall that became 3M. Mine has a pull away metal wire kind of tab that holds the motor in palce. The motor pulls off and I pull the filter out. Put the filter back in leaving a bit of room to put the bottom of the motor on it. Put it back in place and pop the tab back on it. Takes like 15 seconds. I shop vac out my filter so take it out every few weeks.
Barbara, my lungs are junk but still work. A powered helmet not only puts a constant flow of fresh air over your face but keeps dust out of your eyes.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Kelly, I might be doing too much disassembly. Mine also has the wire that holds the blower assembly, but I have also been removing the rubber piece at the top and it takes me some time to get it reinstalled where it seats properly because it seems to be a rather tight fit.

 

[Dave W]

A while back I posted these in the want ads area of the forums. I came across a great deal when wanting to better protect myself at the time. I ended up buying 14 units total. These were used with the old style yellow racal helmets, and then with a conversion piece they fit on to the airstream helmets shells. I have since found 2 yellow racal helmets on craigs, and every now and then I see both the racal and the airstreams helmets at airware, mind you they are used but functional. At airware he calls the airstream helmet an AR5. I sold my racal helmet to a fellow club member who has some serious neck issues. He uses it all day long with no problems. I personally found the airstream to fit me better. Not so much my head, but the distance from the face shield rim to the chest when I want to look down. I would constantly bump the yellow helmets shield up. I guess my neck wasn't quite long enough for that one. I have to say from day one, I have not regretted this purchase. I tried a bunch of other systems, but found this one to be of most comfort to me. To be able to work 6 - 8 hrs straight and not having any dust in the sinus cavities is pure pleasure. To date I have not taken a major direct hit, but on occasion I've had some good size bark fly off and hit the face shield. I barely felt it with the airstream helmet.

If anyone is interested, I still have 5 of these units for sale. You would have to acquire your own helmet.

Not to confuse people I posted this and the price in the want ads for anyone wanting to contact me.

I'm sorry, but I do not have any helmets for sale. The following pictures of helmets are for reference only.

 

[AlanZ]

Bill,

I change filters the same way Kelly does... only takes a few seconds.

When all else fails... read the instructions < vbg >

Go to page 18 in the user manual

Enjoy.

 

[Bill Boehme]

... When all else fails... read the instructions ...

What kind of heresy is that?

 

[AlanZ]

I know... it's a radical approach!

 

[barbara dill]

Thanks

I thank you for your concern and reply's. I have spent the better part of the past few weeks problem solving how to keep my lungs healthy. I've bought some things and then returned some things as I've found things that work for me, maybe. I now have a used air stream helmet with the filter pack on a belt, a new Jet ambient air filter and the old noisy Jet duct collection system that I've used while sanding. Also a few pocket filters that I can use on my face when I need a few minutes of protection. I do feel lucky that I have a heads up on this early Dx so that I can protect myself more seriously. I hope that posting this will remind others about the seriousness of dust.

 

[Charlie Knighton]

wish you well Barabara, thanks for bringing attention to this issue, it can creep up on us, very important

 

[ebrannon]

PAPR system and lung protection

Barbara:

You might want to investigate PAPR (Powered Air Personal Respirator) systems or supplied air PAPR systems as an alternative to a 'filter on face' apparatus. If you have been documented with emphysema, you will certainly want the best respiratory protection available. (Actually we all should, but obviously cost is a major factor.)

There are several companies that supply these PAPR systems (Scott, 3M, etc.). You can do some searching on the internet for HEPA filtered systems with micron or sub-micron particle ratings for maximum filtration efficiency.

Obviously, an efficient dust collection system with efficient filtration, high air flow, etc. is also a must for reducing environmental particulate contaminants.

Sorry to hear of the emphysema diagnosis, but this is manageable; the alternative is far worse. We are losing one of our chapter members to cancer very soon; it isn't a good situation.

Rob

Barbara, I purchased an Allegro system a few years ago. I replaced the face mask unit with a 3M light weight version, and it works very well. I researched some home built systems (which can save money), but the low pressure air pump is what is the expensive and critical part of the system. I purchased an OSHA approved oilless unit. 3M and others make them for industrial use. I paired it with a high capacity dust collection system from Omega. That way I do not always need to have the helmet on when rough turning green wood. However, I do have a small computer fan to create a laminar flow over my work towards the dust intake. Substantially improves performance.

I invested in all this lung protection after a good friend developed chronic asthma from breathing dust in his basement shop with limited ventilation. Putting on a dust mask during "finish sanding" was not adequate to prevent the disease.

Last year I modified an outbuilding into a separate woodturning studio with exhaust fans, PAPR, and dust collection - and good ventilation when I need it.

I previously used a TREND helmet system, which helps, but does nothing for chemicals and finishes (CA glue and accelerant).

If you would like images, or more details on my system, send me a PM. I went thru a number of versions before I ended up with this system.

Ed Brannon

 

[ebrannon]

AND one more thing

I forgot to add one key point - NOISE.

A friend showed me how he located his dust collection system and air compressor in a separate building. I did the same thing, and put all the motors and pumps and compressors in a separate space.

I have very little noise in my helmet, although the air collection system generates about 70 decibels at the lathe. So, with cheap ear plugs, I am all set.

I know this may sound excessive to many, but in reality, I probably have spent less than $3,000 total. Amortizing over its life, it really is not that much. Besides, I do not want to develop COPD.