Exposure to wood dust increases the chances of developing not only nasal cancer but also lung cancer, US research suggests. ‘Wood dust was designated as a human carcinogen based on increased sinus and nasal cancer rates among exposed workers,’ Dr George L Delclos and colleagues from the University of Texas, Houston report in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. ‘However, data on an association with lung cancer have been inconclusive.’ In a study based on detailed personal interviews with 1,368 lung cancer patients and 1,192 cancer-free adults, the investigators found that the risk of lung cancer was three times higher for subjects involved in wood dust-related occupations and industries. For all categories of wood dust exposure, the risk was increased by 60 per cent compared with no exposure.

Carlos H Barcenas, George L Delclos, Randa El-Zein, Guillermo Tortolero-Luna, Lawrence W. Whitehead, Margaret R Spitz. Wood dust exposure and the association with lung cancer risk, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 47, pages 349-357, 2005.