Does anybody have a serious disease or affliction from arboriculture?

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Sunrise Guy said:
Don't expect much help, on this. The guys in here will deride you and put all kinds of nonsensical replies up. Yes, there are health issues involved with our business. Yes, inhaling chainsaw exhaust, when the saw is running a few inches from your face and/or prevailing winds are blasting you with that exhaust, will certainly up your chances of developing lung cancer. Yes, there are spores from fungal pathogens that can grow on bird excrement that, when aerolsolized, can, in fact, cause diseases in humans. Only within the past year was there an article about this happening in the northwest. Yes, sawdust, if inhaled, daily, can increase your chances of developing pulmonary problems.

The above being said, we are in a business where we daily face certain death, if we get careless. We work with the largest living organisms on this planet, bar none. We don't worry about the preceding to the extent where we want to get out of the business. Tree sap flows in our veins.

If you're worried about exhaust, you can wear a mask. It won't block everything, but it can help, a bit. Same goes for inhalation of sawdust and spores. I keep my mask below my chin, on its strap, until I"m cutting. You'll need a great anti-fog spray for your goggles, though, as the mask will kick your breath into your goggles, even with exhalation valves. Wear long sleeves, always, to lessen your chances of melanomas. I wear second-hand store long sleeve white shirts, always. I pay about two dollars for them. They get tossed when they're totaled. Wear a sun shield on your helmet to protect your neck, even if it's cold out. Wear gloves. Use canola oil as your bar oil. I've been using it for over twenty years. No big deal, and it cuts out the smoking emissions from (possibly) more carcinogenic bar oils they sell in hardware stores.

You can up your PPE as you see fit. I've been in this game for a long time. At 62, and still climbing, I've done what I feel is best for me. You may see things differently. I have chronic arthritis in my hips that radiates out to my whole lower body, but it goes away, completely, when I climb. I love the work, and I won't stop until I'm ready to pass into whatever new reality or nothingness awaits me, later. If you're too worried about the tree biz, get out of it. That's about it.
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Thank you Sunrise guy this was the kind of thing I'm looking for, I'd welcome more conformation of this nature, I don't doubt you, my great uncle was in the firewood game for years my father always said he contracted histoplasmosis. No I've no intentions of leaving, I've been doing this 23 years and find it far too lucrative.
 
I have a buddy who's dad died from a lung issue. He spent his life working in a wood shop. His doctor told him that the guys lungs just had too much exposure to fine wood dust over the years. He was a non smoker and he was on oxygen for years before he died. Once it's in the lungs, it's not coming out.
Anytime my saw gets dull and it starts spitting fine dust I think of him.
 
Coen said:
I have a buddy who's dad died from a lung issue. He spent his life working in a wood shop. His doctor told him that the guys lungs just had too much exposure to fine wood dust over the years. He was a non smoker and he was on oxygen for years before he died. Once it's in the lungs, it's not coming out.
Anytime my saw gets dull and it starts spitting fine dust I think of him.
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Watch the chipper dust on the dead stuff.
 
DLCRL said:
Thank you Sunrise guy this was the kind of thing I'm looking for, I'd welcome more conformation of this nature, I don't doubt you, my great uncle was in the firewood game for years my father always said he contracted histoplasmosis. No I've no intentions of leaving, I've been doing this 23 years and find it far too lucrative.
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https://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-03-2012.html

This is an article about Cryptococcus gattii. This is not the pathogen associated with bird droppings. It does grow on tree bark. Eucalyptus trees are favored.
 

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