Environmental hazards of furniture and fixtures manufacture

Specific chemical risks that arise from furniture and wood products manufacture arise from exposure (either directly by contact or indirectly by splashes or mists) to the highly toxic chemicals used to treat wood against insect and mould attack; contraction of parasitic diseases borne by wood; accidents with the slicing, peeling, chipping, or disintegrating machines employed in the industry; exposure to adhesives (especially of the formaldehyde family) which are used in the bonding of man-made panels and which could cause skin disease or systemic intoxication; and the ever-present hazard of fire and explosion due to the highly flammable nature of wood (especially in the form of dust or shavings) and of the various other products used (solvents, adhesives, paints, varnishes, and lacquers).