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Spalted wood skin reaction????

H

Hugh

Joined
May 6, 2004
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Location
Sonoma, CA
I have a friend who is a woodturner (who does not use a computer much) who has a skin reaction on his arm. He has been to a couple of doctors and they have not found the cause of his rash. He came up with the thought that maybe it has been from spalted wood. The question here is: Has anyone out there had a skin rash reaction to spalted wood?
Thanks.
Hugh
 
I've never had a skin reaction to aplated wood or heard of it. Many turners have respitory problems from inhaling the mold that causes wood to spalt. I have had some respitory problems with wood dust in general, specifically maple, so I use good dust collection and take some decongestants when I turn a lot. I have had some severe skin reactions from turning certain woods like cocobola and rosewoods, looks like I have been turning poison ivy or something. Got worse after each exposure so I just gave away all those woods that I had, now I stick to domestic stuff mostly. Ask your friend if he has been turning any cocobola, ebony, or any member of the rosewood family. Green walnut will also do it to many people. Any of those are more likely the culprit than spalting in my non-medical opinion.

Good luck, Ray
 
I wouldn't rule out the spalted wood. Different folks respond to different substances. You could always do a test patch with wood dust sanded from the piece. Only problem is that, if that is it, you've got a new patch of rash.

Dietrich
 
What kind of wood? The rash may result from the wood without the spalting. When you consider what spalting is, you realize it can be hazardous material and cause a number of reactions.
 
Rash

I have found that I get a reaction to Paduk. Small re ith bumbs when I turn it. Long sleeves and glove along with my usually face mask seems to control the reaction.

I agree with the other posts. Everyone is different and they could develop a reaction to anything at anytime. In my day job I see people with food reactions even though they have eaten the same food countless times before. It could be a splated wood or another wood that they finally had been sensatized to.
 
There's a witch's brew of chemicals available in spalted wood. Beginning with the extractives that make the heartwood darker, through bacterial toxins created by bacteria trying to steal food from the molds who are in turn trying their antibiotics on the bacteria. They've been duking it out chemically for billions of years - thousands in Kansas - and have come up with some real killers.

Contact dermatitis is probably caused by the phenols, phenyls and tannins in the heartwood or other extractives. Then there are mites to be considered, who love the same conditions that produce spalting.

"Doc, it hurts when I do this." We all know the answer.
 
Thanks for the advise everyone. I am going to see my friend this afternoon and will pass all of this on to him. He is in the process of trying to educate his doctor as to possibilities that the doctor has not thought of.
Hugh
 
spalted wood

we have a club member who just got out of the hospital after a few weeks stay due to turning spalted wood. Or at least that was the doctors diagnosis on the cause of his pneumonia which caused a problem with his liver?
 
I suspect that all fine wood dust can cause dermatitis. As you all know, fine dust from sanding gets everywhere. Even if you wear longsleves, a mask, a smock, gloves, have your dust collector running and an air filter recirculating your shop's air, there will be dust somewhere that you will come in contact with.

I practice all of the above mentioned and still have developed dermatitis. I have had little preventative help from the doctors. I suspect that the colder/dryer weather makes its worse. During the summer/humid months, I did not have dermatitis. I am turning every day now and was in the summer as well. I find that drinking plenty of water does seem to help.

I also suspect that breathing fine dust can cause dermatitis as well as cause respiratory problems. It may be systemic.

I would like to hear from more members on this subject.

Ed
 
Wrong Place

Hugh,

Not intending to slight anyone here, but questioning an internet woodworking forum regarding a possible fungal infection is not likely to get you much information beyond personal stories. If you friend has a skin reaction to the wood, he/she should be starting with isolating the suspected cause from further contact, and then going to see a dermatologist. If the suspect is the "spalted" wood, then the focus should be split with a mycologist (specializes in fungal infections), and an allergist who is trained to find the particular cause of a sesitivity to either the wood variety, or other compounds or antigens it may contain. You can do some research on fungi at sites such as http://www.mycology.adelaide.edu.au/ which has a lot of useful information, but will not serve to allow you to diagnose your friend's problem.

Good Luck

Mark
 
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