A cloud settles over the safety of MDF ?

[Eastie]

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) extract, 15<SUP>th</SUP> June 2004:
Twenty-six scientists from 10 countries evaluated the available evidence on the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde, a widely used chemical", reports Dr Peter Boyle, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization. The working group, convened by the IARC Monographs Programme, concluded that formaldehyde is carcinogenic to humans. Previous evaluations, based on the smaller number of studies available at that time, had concluded that formaldehyde was probably carcinogenic to humans, but new information from studies of persons exposed to formaldehyde has increased the overall weight of the evidence.


Based on this new information, the expert working group has determined that there is now sufficient evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans, a rare cancer in developed countries.


Source: http://www.iarc.fr/pageroot/PRELEASES/pr153a.html



It will be interesting to see if this has any impact on our legislated safe exposure standards for formaldehyde, and in tern the impact this has on the scientific communities assessment of the toxicity of dust generated from machining MDF containing formaldehyde. Just as a reminder, MDF dust has previously been listed (on historical research before this research finding) as being no more dangerous than other timber dusts(http://www.hse.gov.uk/wood/pdf/woodn16.pdf).

[vsquizz]

Eastie, is there now anything that is NOT Carcinogenic??.. If I look back to my years at sea: All the lagging/insulation (asbestos and Calcium silicate) we used is now banned. The good gasketless jointing compounds we used where carcinogenic (apparently). The zinc chromate, red-lead and TBT paints we used to have all over us are all banned. Alot of the greases and lubes have now been taken off the market or have warnings all over them...its a wonder a bloke is still alive!

I might just go have an MDF Sandwich...

Nothing on the scans yet

[bsrlee]

Lookout then - all those self-carbon forms work with a formaldehyde based ink - makes it even more dangerous to use a credit card doesn't it.

[vsquizz]

I know in the Philipines, some years back, they used formaldehyde for preservative...in the beer. I think I'm well preserved Hic..

[scooter]

I think most (all?) MDF available in Oz is rated LFE, Low Formaldehyde Emissions. Low, not none, admittedly.

Still enjoying burnt snags on the barbie, despite the missus's carcinogenic objections.

Cheers........Sean

[vsquizz]

I don't use the stuff anyway!

(The MDF that is not the beer)

[PAH1]

As far as safety has gone we in the science community have treated Formaldehyde as a carcinogen for a long time. All aldehydes are carcinogenic to some degree. The question is how long they persist, which is generally not that long, and what concentration/exposure are people getting. The concentration of formaldehyde that we typically use 2-6% v/v is probably hundreds of times that which remains in the MDF. I think that the dust issue would be greater than residual exposure to formaldehyde.

As far as everything being carcinogenic goes, many things are but not all. The risks of you contracting nasal cancer are real, but probably less that the odds of you getting killed in a car crash this year. It would be interesting to know with about 3-4 thousand people on this board if any cases of nasal cancer are known, relative to how many have died of heart diesease, lung cancer, road accidents etc.

[thevoice]

I worked in a cabinetmakers here in Melbourne for 7 years (casual, part time and occaisionally full time) a few years back. We used MDF in fairly decent quantities, as do most cabinet makers these days. For all of that time, part of my job was to clean out the main dust extractor and the individual dust bags on machines, obviously covering myself in dust in the process...

I wore a good quality dust mask 98% of the time I did that task (not a respirator, rated for asbestos but not vapour) yet still had regular blood noses throughout the time I worked there. I have recently discovered this is a common reaction to inhaling formaldehyde. When I left the job the blood noses magically dissapeared, I've had one blood nose since I left, (3 years ago now) and that was when I did a favour for a friend and made some speaker boxes out of MDF.

Needless to say, I'm a little worried about how I'm going to be in years to come. I probably should have thought more of the problems at the time, but I was 16 then, and somewhat invincible. I've recently watched my father die from cancer and know differently now.

Sorry for the essay...

[PAH1]

Sorry for the essay...
I do not think that you have to worry about that.

There are two parts to any risk, concentration and exposure. You may have had a deal of exposure to the dust, blood noses can also be simply from the particulate material.

My only advice would be see a doctor anytime that you think something is wrong. It may be unlikely that something will happen, but the risk is not zero. I have gone from knowing nobody with breast cancer to knowing personally 6 people with it and 3 of them are dieing from it .

[adrian]

It can't be any good because it even makes dead people go stiff.

[Bushrat]

It can't be any good because it even makes dead people go stiff.
Sure you are not getting confused with Viagra mate. :o
Bushie

[capedcrusader]

[QUOTE=thevoice] Needless to say, I'm a little worried about how I'm going to be in years to come. I probably should have thought more of the problems at the time, but I was 16 then, and somewhat invincible. I've recently watched my father die from cancer and know differently now.
QUOTE]

Keep a positive fighting attitude Voice - nothing can hurt ya

[adrian]

Sure you are not getting confused with Viagra mate. :o
Bushie

Got a Viagra stuck in my throat the other day and have had a stiff neck ever since. BOOM BOOM. (sorry)

[adrian]

The one fact that a lot of people miss in the discussion about all these dust particles that are carcinogenic is that a disproportionate number of people who contract these lung diseases also smoke.
In the case of asbestos, if you get two guys, one a smoker and the other a non-smoker who have been breathing the stuff for a long time, the smoker is 90 times more likely to get asbestosis.
So if you are a smoker and worried about the health effects of dust you should take a long hard look at why you spend up to $5000 a year so that you can suck smoke into your lungs. Give it up and you could buy a major piece of top quality woodworking equipment every year of your life and live to pass it on to your grandchildren.
I know I'm preaching but I'm getting tired of hearing about old friends and relatives dying from cancer. My mother just told me about four more today.