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            After the field trip on Wednesday cuasious about dangerous wood I did some reaserch and this is what I found. Only 2% to 5% of the population will develop an allergic sensitivity to one or more compounds found in wood. Contact dermatitis (allergic reaction from skin contact) from timbers is usually attributable to contamination of the skin during machining. Handling of solid wood rarely induces dermatitis, however any species that contains quinones, especially Dalbergia species, may do so. "The main effect is irritation." (An irritant is "something that can cause inflammation" or irritation.) ..."This can be caused by skin contact with the wood, its dust, its bark, its sap, or even lichens growing on the bark. Irritation can, in some species of wood, lead to nettle rashes or irritant dermatitis. These effects tend to appear on the forearm, backs of the hands, the face (particularly eyelids) neck, scalp and the genitals. On average, they take 15 days to develop."  Latency periods can range from a few hours to several months. "Symptoms usually only persist as long as the affected skin site remains in contact with the source of irritation... Symptoms subside when contact with the irritant is removed. Sensitization dermatitis is more problematic and is usually caused by skin exposure to fine wood dust of certain species." (Sensitization is "an allergic reaction to a substance which is usually irreversible" resulting in hypersensitivity and susceptibility to being overly responsive.) ..."This is also referred to as allergic contact dermatitis and results in similar skin effects to those produced by skin irritants. Once sensitized, the body sets up an allergic reaction, and the skin may react severely if subsequently exposed to very small amounts of the wood dust. Cross-sensitization may develop where other woods or even non-wood materials produce a similar response." The culprit behind these allergies is a group of chemicals called quinones, often used to make dyes. These naturally occurring chemicals are produced as defensive agents against fungal and predator attacks (including woodworkers and jewelry collectors). Though they also have potential medicinal uses in non-allergic humans, quinones play a major role in allergic contact dermatitis caused by plants. The primary "allergens are benzoquinones or naphthoquinones but also compounds, such as catechols, coumarins, and other phenolic or flavonoid compounds, which are bioconverted [metabolized] into ortho-quinones or para-quinones." These derivatives can covalently bond to skin proteins. Since they are not recognized by the immune system, they are attacked. Catechol is a main constituent of urushiol, which is the allergen in poison ivy. It is possible that once sensitized to one of these quinones that cross reactions to similar quinones and/or structures can develop.  There are other hardwoods that are notorious for causing dangerous reactions (which may include surprisingly strong reactions such as cardiac and nervous system effects, cancer, and genotoxicity), such as: afromosia (Periocopsis elata), Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon), greenheart (Chlorocardium rodiei), mansonia (Mansonia altissima), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and satinwood (Chloroxylon swietenia), as well as various softwoods such as: cedar (Thuja spp.), hemlock(Tsuga spp.), pine (Pinus spp.), and yew (Taxus spp)

This information was found http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Wood_Hazards

Jared A

Hi Everyone,

Well we had quite a rain storm pass over us last night-it rained heavily all night long. Minnesota must be the greenest place in the US at the moment.

I really enjoy working out of doors. I work almost all year around and sometimes that means it can be quite cold and uncomfortable. But at other times it means getting to work during amazing storms like the one we have going on at the moment.

Its interesting just how different the air feels and even smells during a storm. The sound of thunder sounds so much sharper outside than it does inside. Mix in the strong scent of wood and you have the most amazing work environment in world.

The animals I get to see are fun too. This year seems to be an amazing year for birds. Ive seen birds here that Ive never seen before. Early in the morning its like a chorus outside with all of them chirping and singing to one another. We have an owl and a wood pecker too.

This really beats working in a cubicle.

Ok back to work: the bowls that we made last month are ready to come out of their drying bags for inspection and final cuttings so well begin that probably later today.

And Ive been wanting to carve a spoon for the longest time. I have some arthritis in my hands and hand carving is something Ive given up. I think I may be able to get around some of the pain and stiffness by using a draw knife to do some of the rough shaping so Im going to purchase a draw knife and some bass wood (much softer than the hickory I use!) and try to make a spoon once again. Ill post pictures and discussion soon.

I will also be closing my shop for a week in July to clean out everything and to patch up the concrete floor. More about that next month.

Have a great day and if youre in Minnesota, go outside and listen to the birds and enjoy the spring showers.

VW

This weekend we took a trip down the coast to visit Santa Barbara, the outlets and a few antique shops north of LA.

I found these great knobs at Anthro in the clearance section. Im hoping to use a set on a printer/paper storage cabinet that we are working on.

We visited Avila Valley Barn where I found these beauties, apparently everyone in slo county had the same idea ... it was packed! Im finally working on some fall decor!

and we started designing a new stencil, still a ways to go, but it is beginning to take shape!

Im off to work on my fall wreath/porch, photos soon!

This week we made a last minute plan to go to Disneyland on Friday. We wanted to go before school got out in hopes that it wouldnt be as busy. Turned out that it was grad night, so we were out of luck but we still had a great time!


Saturday we stopped at Ikea (of course). I wasnt really planning on getting anything, but then I remembered a few things that would be good for projects (always happens :)
Sunday we worked on our latest project that I briefly talked about last week. We started cutting driftwood last week and finished this weekend. It was A LOT of cutting!! We are done with the hard part, so hopefully we will have lots of progress/finished pictures a little later this week!

Want to see project sneak peaks? Make sure to find me on instagram @sarahmdorseydesigns

Hope you had a great weekend!!