Symptoms to watch for

This page is general information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you what is causing your symptoms. Only a doctor or other qualified health professional can diagnose you. If you have trouble breathing, chest pain, or swelling of the face or throat, get emergency help now.

Wood dust can cause allergies, asthma and skin conditions.¹² These are easier to deal with when caught early.³ Knowing the early signs helps you act before a problem becomes permanent.

The key clue: better away from the shop

Symptoms that ease on weekends, holidays or other days away from wood dust, and come back when you return, often point to a work-related cause.⁴ Keep a note of when symptoms happen and what wood you were working with.

Allergic symptoms are often worst in the evening or at night, after you’ve left the shop, so it is easy not to link them to work.⁴

Nose and eyes

• Runny, itchy or blocked nose; sneezing.⁴
• Itchy, watery or red eyes.⁴

These are often the first signs of a wood dust allergy and can come before asthma.⁴

Chest and breathing

• Cough.
• Wheezing.
• Chest tightness.
• Shortness of breath.⁴

If you are sensitized, even small amounts of dust can trigger these.¹ Asthma attacks can be serious.⁴

Skin

• Dry, red, itchy skin, sometimes flaking, cracking or blistering.²
• A rash that keeps coming back where dust or wood touches skin.²
• Hives: raised, itchy welts that appear soon after contact and fade within hours.²
• Splinter wounds that are slow to heal or become infected. HSE notes this for some woods.⁵

Feeling unwell after exposure

A few woods have been linked to a flu-like illness with breathlessness, caused by an allergic inflammation in the lungs (hypersensitivity pneumonitis). This is rare.⁵ HSE also lists headache, vomiting and other general effects for a small number of timbers.⁵

Nose and sinus symptoms that don’t go away

Wood dust is linked to cancers of the nose, sinuses and nasopharynx.⁶ These cancers are uncommon, and early stages may cause no symptoms. Signs the National Cancer Institute lists include:⁷

• Sinus blockage or pressure that doesn’t clear.
• Nosebleeds.
• A lump or sore inside the nose that doesn’t heal.
• Numbness in the face, swelling around the eye, or changes in vision.
• Pain in the upper teeth or loosening teeth.

Most of these symptoms have common, harmless causes. But if any of them last for weeks, see a doctor and mention your woodworking.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if:

• Symptoms improve when you’re away from the shop and return when you go back.⁴
• You have new wheeze, cough or breathlessness, or asthma that is getting worse.
• A rash keeps coming back or doesn’t heal.
• Nose or sinus symptoms, nosebleeds or a sore in the nose last for weeks.

Tell your doctor that you work with wood, which species, how often, and what dust control and protection you use. HSE advises telling your doctor about the substances you work with.⁴ A specialist in occupational or respiratory medicine, or a dermatologist for skin problems, can arrange tests to find the cause.

If you’re employed, also tell your manager or safety representative.⁴ UK employers are generally expected to run health surveillance for workers exposed to wood dust, including questions about breathing and skin checks.⁸⁹

Why acting early matters

• Allergic asthma from wood dust may not go away. In studies of western red cedar asthma, early removal from exposure was linked to better recovery, but many people who left the industry still had asthma years later.³¹⁰
• Once you are sensitized, the most reliable fix is avoiding that dust.²¹ Better dust control, a better respirator, or switching species can make a big difference.

Meanwhile

• Improve dust control and wear a fitted respirator: see Protection.
• Note which woods seem to trigger symptoms and check their species pages.
• Don’t stop prescribed medicines or change treatment without talking to your doctor.

Dust Almanac does not provide medical care and cannot answer personal medical questions.

Last reviewed 2026-11-07.