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Is your shop air safe?

The type of particles you breathe matters.

​Particulates from cutting, grinding, sanding, smoke We all know people who have lived for many years day in and day out breathing clouds of dust particles who seem to be in good health.  It leads many to believe that because they haven't seen immediate issues that there's nothing going wrong.  However, you probably know many smokers who feel the same way yet we see them struggling to breathe after walking 10 feet across the room when they get older.  We know their risk of most diseases are much higher than non-smokers.  For a deeper dive into the risks you can follow this link to an OSHA assessment of wood dust hazards and mitigation.  You may also refer to this Wood Dust Toxicity Chart  to get a feel for the toxicity of the woods that you are working with. 

Wood dust has been characterized as a carcinogen, at toxin and an allergen but not all woods are equally dangerous.  For example, Yew wood dust is known to be a direct toxin which causes irritation, nausea, headaches and cardiac effects.   Pine on the other hand is only known to cause irritation, runny noses, and possibly asthma. 

Particulates from burning such as hydrocarbons from engine exhaust, welding fumes, and even smoke from cooking are particularly problematic over time because these particles are submicron sizes which allows them to reach the full extents of your lungs without being captured and expelled.  There they enter the blood stream and cause inflammation which is at the root of many diseases such as cardiovascular and lung disease.


Researchers have seen that the number of deaths from lung cancer increases by 8% for every 10 micrograms of fine particulate matter per cubic meter, according to the study. Larger particles and gaseous pollutants were generally not as associated with higher number of deaths.  As a reference the EPA set annual average limits on fine particular matter to 15 micrograms per cubic meter in 1997. However, many cities presently exceed that standard. According to the study, from 1979 to 1983, the annual average was 24 ug/m 3 in New York City, 27 ug/m 3 in Los Angeles, 23 ug/m 3 in Chicago and 26 ug/m 3 in Washington D.C. The levels have come down over the years, and in 1999 and 2000 the annual average was 16.ug/m 3 in New York, 20 ug/m 3 in Los Angeles, 18 ug/m 3 in Chicago and 15 ug/m 3 in Washington, D.C.   Reference article

If you can measure it, you can manage it!

After working through research that shows that chronic exposure to dust particles greatly increases the chances for chronic diseases over time I started taking shop air quality much more seriously. I bought a Dylos DC-1100 Pro PC laser particle counter (this is not a product recommendation, just a reference to what I use) to determine how good/bad my shop air quality really was. There's an old but wise saying... "if you can measure it you can manage it".  Once I started "seeing" how much different cutting, grinding, soldering and various other operations affected air quality in my shop and by how much, my obsession with modifying my tools to capture all of the dust at the source began.

I used a 1.5 hp bag dust collector by moving the hose from machine to machine. When I measured the shop air with the dust collector running the air quality remained in the "very poor" range. To give you an objective comparison, I would often see readings of 30,000 on the meter (3,000,000 particles/cubic foot). For reference, 150 to 300 is considered "good" and anything over 3,000 is considered "very poor". My air had 100x more particles than what is considered "good".  My dust collector was really just a dust pump, spreading the smallest and most unhealthy particles throughout my shop and I couldn't even see any of it. It did a great job of collecting the heavy dust that I could see but it was pumping 700 cfm of invisible fine dust particles throughout the shop every time I turned it on. The laser particle counter helped me see the invisible particles that were filling my lungs. As a reference, I just checked the air in my shop and the meter is reading "80" which is in the "Very Good" range. The air outside the shop measured 1500 which is in the "Poor" range.

There are quite a few air quality meters available on the market and I would recommend that you research them to determine which one will give you the most information for the amount you are willing to spend. I would make a recommendation but it would likely be outdated in less than a year so I'll just suggest browsing Amazon and Google to see the latest and greatest.  The market is expanding VERY quickly because the public is becoming more aware of the negative health effects of particulates and volatile organic compounds. You can find air quality meters from $50 to $5000 or more but the quality of the meters is quickly increasing and the prices are decreasing.  The next meter I buy will likely include measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) since many of these vapors can cause more health problems in a shorter amount of time than most dust particles.  There are many invisible pollutants that can potentially cause health issues.  Using a measuring device to monitor your shop air quality is a great way to keep your shop time therapeutic and not destructive.

Not all meters are created equally.  You can buy professional laser particle counters that cost over $5,000 and provide very accurate readings for a very wide range of particle sizes.  There are single beam laser particle counter systems out now that cost under $200.  These systems won't provide as reliable accuracy as the $5,000 units but they are still VERY useful to help determine how changes to your tools affect their dust collection efficiency.  In other words, the cheaper meters may not give you an absolutely accurate particle count or concentration but they will tell you if the changes you make to your tools are lowering the amount of dust that escapes or not.  For example, if your meter reads 30,000 after you make a cut on your table saw then reads only 250 after making the same cut after modifying your dust collection then you know you made a drastic improvement even if the second reading may be off by 50% from the true accurate value.  

I would recommend not buying a meter unless it reads particle sizes at least as low as 2.5 microns.  The one I use will read down to 0.5 microns.  Most of the professional units will read down to 0.3 microns and some go lower than that.  OSHA and NIOSH use an index that is based on concentrations of particles between 2.5 and 10 microns.  The lower the particle counts the more accurate the cheaper meters will be in most cases.  

The EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: 1. ground-level ozone
2. particle pollution (also known as particulate matter, 2.5 microns and up)
3. carbon monoxide 
4. sulfur dioxide and 
5. nitrogen dioxide.


For woodworkers, having a meter that measures formaldehyde would also be a good idea since it is one of the more problematic chemicals found in many wood products.  Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used in resins (i.e., glues) used in the manufacture of composite wood products (i.e., hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard).

​Next Article - How to maintain a safe air quality level in your shop

 Please share and read about more dust collection tips and tricks by joining the Shop Hacks Facebook Group by clicking HERE.

I use the Facebook group to gauge interest in various topics. The topics with the most interest will become blog articles on this site and will be added to the information base that is being built for you.


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  • Home
  • Improve your Workspace
    • Dust Collection and Air Filtration >
      • Table Saw Dust Collection
      • All About Cyclone Separators
      • Dust Deputy and Dustopper Review and Comprehensive Scientific Testing
      • Dust Sheriff Cyclone Separator
      • Dust Collection System Options
      • Air Filtration System Options
      • Why clean air matters
      • Is your shop air safe???
      • How to maintain healthy air in your shop
      • Dust Collection Resources and Links
      • Why I became obsessed with dust collection and air filtration
    • Storage, Organization, Efficiency >
      • How to organize your tools and materials
      • Workbench Build and Restoration Options
    • Improve your workshop floors and lighting >
      • Improve your floors
      • Improve your lighting
  • Improve Your Tools
    • CNC Routing / Milling >
      • What you can make with a CNC router
      • What are your options?
      • Getting Started with a CNC
      • CNC Enclosures
      • My Journey to CNC Machines
      • CNC Router Resources and Links
    • Laser Cutting / Engraving >
      • What you can make with a laser
      • Types of Laser Cutters
      • Laser Cutting Resources and Links
    • 3D Printing >
      • What you can make with a 3D Printer
      • Which 3D Printer Should I Buy?
      • 3D Printing Tips and Tricks
      • 3D Printing Resources and Links
      • My Journey to 3D Printing
      • Modified Makergear M2 with Heated Build Chamber
    • Vinyl Cutting / Graphics
  • Shop
    • The Ultimate Air Filtration System
    • Dust Sheriff Cyclone Dust Collector
    • Shop Vac Hose Connector
    • Drill Organizer with Easy Access Charger Shelf
    • Quik Cleat Organization System
    • Ultimate Flip Top Workbench Plans
    • DIY Hydraulic Lift Mobile Tool Base
  • Contact
    • The Shop Hacks Story
    • Blog