Long ignored, wood dust is now recognized as carcinogenic agents. An invisible pollution inhaled by thousands of employees who are sometimes poorly protected.
Like asbestos, arsenic or tar, wood dust is a chemical carcinogen. Today in France, more than 400,000 employees are exposed to this invisible and insidious pollution recognized as one of the main causes of occupational cancer. To protect as much as possible those exposed, the Ministry of Agriculture and Labor is launching an awareness campaign to remind companies that “solutions exist”.
In the short term, wood dust can lead to skin pathologies such as eczema or rhinitis. But inhaled for years, the coarser wood dust can lodge in the nasal and sinus cavities and cause cancer there, while the finer ones manage to reach the pulmonary alveoli.
“Around a hundred cases of occupational diseases linked to wood dust are recognized annually among employees of the general social security system,” reveals the National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases (INRS). Among the most exposed employees, there are of course carpenters, employees of wood processing workshops but also those in the building sector.
“Around a hundred cases of occupational diseases linked to wood dust are recognized annually among employees of the general social security system,” reveals the National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases (INRS). Among the most exposed employees, there are of course carpenters, employees of wood processing workshops but also those in the building sector.
Limit the discharge of dust
For 15 years, an exposure limit value not to be exceeded has been set at 1 mg / m3. Reducing dust emissions is therefore essential to reach this threshold. For this, companies had to install suction equipment to capture dust at the source. Individual measures such as wearing a mask and working clothes have also been put in place.
But according to a control campaign organized in 2008, these systems were almost non-existent or were not in a state of functioning properly. “While the majority of stationary machines are equipped with a dust collection system at the source, this is rarely connected to a suction device… Less than 20% of portable machines have a collection and ‘dust suction,’ reports the INRS. Result: the protection of employees and their health is not guaranteed.
To ensure that companies comply with all these measures and assess the level of dust emissions, checks are carried out every year. They are also required to identify the risks to which they are exposed on a daily basis for all employees. This sheet is sent to the employee concerned and to occupational medicine.
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