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ambrosia maple

Health problems

While I can't directly answer your questions, since there are many, many millions of people, someone, somewhere, will no doubt have problems with ambrosia maple. Protect your breathing, vision, and skin as appropriate. There is a company in Texas that sells a lotion that acts as a skin protectant but I don't have the name at hand. I found it using Google Search.:)
 
Supposedly the figure's from beetles, so beetle parts and their proteins might well be a problem. The darker heartwood color in soft maple comes from some pretty complicated phenyls and phenols which can irritate the mucous membranes.

Anything's possible, so if you're sensitive, protect yourself. While you're at it, avoid walnut oil, soy oil, solvents ... from fiber mask to full bubble as required.
 
Gernally abmbrosia maple is formed by the... you guessed it.. ambrosia beetle. It lays its eggs in the tree and puts a bit of fungus in the "nest" for food for the young. It is the fungus that attacks the wood not necessarily the beetle. If I remember correctly, and at this age that's a problem, the beelte is not a wood "eating" insect.
 
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