Caution building with MDF

[mxtras]

Yup. Read the MSDS.

If you grind up an entire sheet of MDF into a respirable powder and then blow it all into a small room while you stand in the room breathing deeply without respiration protection, it is likely to cause some irritation.

Scott

[Rhodan]

Toxicity depends on two things: amount and length of exposure.

For instance, if you were walking along and happened to get a puff of asbestos dust thick enough to make you cough but never had exposure to asbestos before or after, the chances of developing asbestosis are pretty well nill. It could possible cause cancer later but again, the chances are pretty low.

If you worked in an area with a tiny amount of friable asbestos (dust) in the air for 30 years, your chance of developing asbestosis is still pretty low but the cancer risk is orders of magnitude higher.

If you work in an area where you breathe very high levels of friable asbestos then your chance of developing asbestosis is pretty good but your chance of developing cancer is actually lower than the example above - because asbestosis will likely kill you before cancer develops.

Many deadly poisons can actually be beneficial or even essential to health - in small enough doses.

[Rhodan]

Oh and if you didn't already know, be careful around red cedar as it is a sensitizer. Prolonged exposure can make you alergic to it even if you didn't start out that way.

[Mr.Chips]

Originally Posted by MAAD Would a shop vacuum work well for dust collection? I have a 2.5 peak hp Ridgid wet/dry vac. If not, I could get a 5 peak hp one. Would either of those be strong enough to collect most of the particles? M

The hard answer is NO! They do not trap particulate less than 5 microns.

This is the kind of dust collector you need.
http://billpentz.com/woodworking/cyc...m#MedicalRisks

This is a Cyclone build it your self vacuum.

Read and be aware of what you can do to protect yourself.
Hager

[ImanCarrot]

Also depends on whether you smoke or not. If you do then you've destroyed a lot of the little hairs in the windpipe that continualy ripple and push dust/ fibres up out of the way of your lungs.

That's why smokers are more prone to problems from asbestos than non (I'm a smoker btw, not having a pop or anything).