Spores are in the fruiting bodies - mushrooms. Darwin would certainly
exact a heavy price on any species which tried to spread by burying its
spores inside solids. Don't play with the bark.
Now as to the toxins produced by the mycelium - what you're seeing - to
preserve their chow from competing bacteria, they're our antibiotics, and,
as you know, some powerful allergens to boot.
"Joel Jacobson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> When working spalted wood be extra careful to avoid kicking up and
breathing
> any wood dust. Mold spores in your lungs can be a nasty experience.
>
> Joel
>
>
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Spores are in the fruiting bodies - mushrooms. Darwin would certainly
> exact a heavy price on any species which tried to spread by burying its
> spores inside solids.
Now that's an interesting point, a species that relies on woodworkers
to cut the wood open and spread the spores. Sort of like tapeworms
relying of dogs swallowing fleas as they groom--the tapewrom larvae
infest fleas.
--
FF
On that same note, thought I'd mention the following in case some are not
aware of the danger, which had never dawned on me before.
I am just now getting over almost two months of "lung infection" ... which
was a little bit too much of a catchall diagnosis for my skeptical nature.
I was pretty well convinced in my own mind that it was related to wood dust,
although I'd never had a problem before. Although the doctor's kept ignoring
me when I brought it up, visions of having to give up woodworking kept
popping into my head. I stayed out of the shop in any case for the duration.
Just this past week they believe they isolated the culprit. Going back over
my actions, I had cleaned out the barbecue pit two days prior to the first
symptoms. Come to find out, breathing charcoal dust from a barbecue pit is
almost guaranteed to give you a lung infection, young or old. The pulmonary
function folks said that just the act of tipping over a barbecue pit and
dumping the dust is responsible for a large percentage of their business.
I've found another use for my dust mask real quick.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/18/03
"Joel Jacobson" wrote in message
> When working spalted wood be extra careful to avoid kicking up and
breathing
> any wood dust. Mold spores in your lungs can be a nasty experience.