Occupational Health Watch: December 2017

Wood Dust and Work-Related Asthma

Wood dust is created by many types of work tasks and it can be breathed in if it gets into the air. Wood dust can cause or trigger work-related asthma.

Learn how to prevent work-related asthma from wood dust in an updated booklet published by the Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program (WRAPP) of the California Department of Public Health. WRAPP has found over 100 people in a variety of work settings who link their work-related asthma to wood dust. Cabinet makers, construction workers, loggers, wood shop teachers, artists, and floor finishers are among the workers who are exposed to wood dust.

The booklet explains how wood dust can be harmful and describes work-related asthma. It also summarizes the types of tasks that expose workers to wood dust, and highlights methods for limiting how much dust gets into the air and protecting workers from inhaling it. The booklet is available in English and in Spanish.

Photo: A worker uses a saw equipped with ventilation that captures dust.

Resources

Wood Dust and Work-Related Asthma Booklet

Booklet in Spanish

Work-Related Asthma Prevention Program

Email Occupational Health Watch (OHW@cdph.ca.gov) with feedback or change of address.