"Wood: Identification and Use lists no fewer than 170 woods deemed toxic. ... Hang around too much dust and you might find yourself with conjunctivitis, bronchial asthma, and nausea. dust can cause swelling of the scrotum and oversensitivity to light. ... Dust from the tree can cause loss of appetite, and dust from the tree can cause temporary blindness. sawdust can lead to nasal cancer and swelling of the eyelids. There's even evidence linking the wood dust from commonplace and to cancer of the upper respiratory tract. ... try to avoid splinters from wood, found in Australia; the wood contains a poison the aboriginals used on spearheads."