Long ago I got my first experience with a respiratory reaction after cutting up some mammoth type ivory scales. I'd received a pretty large sized bone and was cutting down to usable scale sizes. The vacuum was on with an HEPA exhaust filter and I was wearing a P-100 cartridge respirator. The dust was fine enough that I was able to smell it which should have queued me in to stop but I kept going. That evening I felt like I was coughing up my innards. The following days were not fun either.
One would think that I learned or so I thought so my next time cutting it I wore an organic vapor along with an additional P100 pre-filter on the cartridge respirator. Was far better but I was able to get a faint whiff so I stopped. Still had a reaction that had me down. Since then I tended to cut and grind wet because the slurry was easier to clean up before it dried to become dust. I don't work any of the ivories anymore.
Over the father's day weekend we visited a relative that had a cat and bearded dragon reptile in the house. It smelled a bit off but I didn't think much of it because I wasn't as aware what that scent was. I didn't handle the reptile either. (I know now that it was from the reptile's enclosure giving off whatever.) By the time I got home I felt the onset of a reaction. This instance I was in the house for 3.5 hours. Been down the whole week.
Love the craft side but some of these materials even when handled in ways we think are safe, the long term exposures do build up. Be safe, respiratory exposures to many of these materials we work with are
