Occupational exposure to wood dust alone or chemically treated is suspected to be associated with an increased risk of developing adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity, which in the general population is very rare; fewer than 10% of nasal cancer deaths are adenocarcinomas, which have an annual incidence of 1-2 per million. However, the epidemiological data available are not sufficient to make a definitive assessment between occupational exposure to wood and increased risk for cancer. The data presently available are not sufficient to make a definitive assessment between wood dust exposure and increased risk for cancer other than nasal cancer and do not clearly identify the specific agent(s) responsible for these effects. Therefore, a review of literature was carried out from the standpoint of a wood scientist. The results reported in this paper are necessary to understand the association between wood dust exposure and nasal cavity tumors, along with demographic differences in cancer rates, and to develop strategies for intervention and reduction of disease causing agents in order to reduce risk to wood industry workers.

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