bone, is it dangerous?

[shaggystu]

i've just been filing some bone down to make a bearing block for a bow drill and i've noticed that the dust seems to really make me sneeze. i was wondering, is the dust from bone at all dangerous?
am i allergic (it does have that hay-fever tickle about it) or is it just an irritant?
i remember a while ago some poor unfortunate drum maker caught anthrax from some hides, could bone do the same thing?

the bone i'm working is a dog bone.....erm......that's as in from a pet shop for my dog to chew on, not from a moonlight raid to my local pet cemetary, thought i should probably clear that up straight away.

cheers

stuart

[Radix lecti]

Wearing a mask would be advisable if making dust working animal bones . Do a google search on the dust from animal bones and you will quite shocked on what you can catch from it.Cheers.
Daz

[ged]

...is the dust from bone at all dangerous?

Can be, try typing

"bone dust" disease

into your favourite search engine. I fairly quickly came up with several interesting tidbits e.g. http://www.asthmascience.org/showabs...p?pmid=1958009

Any bones you get hold of will almost certainly contain proteins. Proteins can be pretty good at causing allergic and similar reactions. I have a lot of trouble with feather and down, and my sister can't stroke a cat without coming out in red blisters. Strangely enough she has no problem with dogs except one of mine is a bit boisterous and tends to bowl her over because he loves her so much.

[shaggystu]

ok, so i'm suitably scared, no more bone working in the living room for me.

next question, what kind of mask would be suitable for bone work? i'm guessing that the one i've got for paint spraying would do the job? it's not to hand at the moment so not sure what EU standard it is, a quick google leads me to think that:
EN149 FFP3 is what i should be looking for, would people agree?

cheers

stuart

[Radix lecti]

EN149 FFP3 is what i should be looking for, would people agree?

Yes Stuart that type of mask is suitable for toxic dusts.
Daz

[xylaria]

Keeping it wet helps. as does hand tools

Look up new zealand bone working health and safety regulations. It is a major art over there and it is taught in schools.

[ged]

I think that mask spec will do fine. Have you considered doing this work outdoors? The rain will keep the dust down.

[shaggystu]

Keeping it wet helps. as does hand tools

Look up new zealand bone working health and safety regulations. It is a major art over there and it is taught in schools.

with the exception of an electric drill and an electric sewing machine, all of my tools are hand tools, i'm in no rush.
don't much fancy working wet as i've not got it clamped at all. i'm just holding it in one hand and filing with the other, i wouldn't want it slipping around in my hands.

i'll have a look at the new zealand h&s stuff, good suggestion.

...... Have you considered doing this work outdoors? The rain will keep the dust down.

that's the plan from now on i think, i'm sure that bone dust in the house can't be a good idea.

thanks for all the help guys.

stuart

[brancho]

The dust from sanding most things is bad for you so wear a mask.