: Hi All;

: Well, I think I pretty well confirmed that I have a true sensitivity to cedar
: dust. Whenever I work with the wood, I get rashes & itch like the
: dickens. When I switch to a glassing phase, it all goes away in a day or
: two. I started on the interior scraping and sanding of the hull and deck a
: few days ago, and it's back. I take frequent breaks when sanding, and wash
: off exposed parts of my body when I do. It doesn't seem to help. My arms
: and my eyelids (of all things) seem worst affected. I've been showering
: twice a day to no avail, and I do wear my respirator.

: I've GOT to find a source of cypress down here for the next boat . . . ;-)

: Forewarned is forearmed, Spidey

Like most allergic reactions the best a person can do to eliminate the symptoms is to eliminate the exposure. Tyvek suits and respirators go a long way to cutting down on exposure to cedar dust, but once you become sensitized even minimal amounts will bring on symptoms. Itchy eyelids and rashes sound like symptoms you could deal with by taking antihistamines a day or two before you plan on working around dust. I seemed to have a similar problem some years ago with mahogany plywood dust; itchy eyes and constant sneezing.

Mark