Health risks associated with exposure to softwood dusts were reviewed. An excess of sinonasal cancer has been reported following exposures to hardwood dusts or a combination of hard and softwood dusts, and wood dust has been classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The effects of exposure to softwood dusts alone have not been well studied. Case control studies have suggested an increased risk of sinonasal cancer among workers exposed to softwood dusts; however, these results were not definitive and conflicting data exist. The nonmalignant effects of wood dust exposure on the respiratory system including asthma, upper and lower respiratory symptoms, and airflow obstruction were described and discussed as were factors associated with concurrent related exposures, exposure levels, sampling methods, and particle size. An exposure limit of at least 2mg/m3 was suggested for prevention of the nonmalignant adverse health effects associated with exposure to softwood dusts.

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