[ithacaartist]

Ultimately, a woodworker without respiratory protection or a very effective vacuum system puts himself at risk for brown lung. In addition, some varieties of wood present other, different poisonous components to the woodworker in their dust. Hugh Clark cautioned me once about hop hornbeam dust I'd encounter when checkering grips--particularly with the power tool some scratchers use in theri work. I Googled the subject, and though I cannot cite the page of such info, it was pretty easy to find.

Spalting is black stains in the wood, mostly running with the grain. I forget if it is the result of the activity of a bacterium or fungus, but is a part of the wood's decomposition. I would not be surprised if the moldy dust is a hazard...