Who would you ask?

[vinemaplebows]

I am well versed in the local woods in my area (Wa. State) What I can not figure out is the toxicity of the woods I am trying to use, Specifically for making tobacco pipes.

Example... Osoberry is a native shrub, yields barely edible fruits, and the natives used the bark for medicine. It would stand to reason you could use this wood for my purposes, yet Nothing I can find confirms this. There are other woods like Ocean Spray....

Whom would one contact to confirm if any of the woods I want to use wood be a problem?

[DC]

I would be willing to bet that the tobacco would be the poisonous part. Any poison contributed by the wood would be negligible.   

[upstatenybowyer]

I think I agree with DC on this one. That said, I'm not sure there's a whole lot of information out there on the toxicity of different woods' smoke. I'm guessing a safe bet would be a wood used for smoking food... apple, cherry, oak, hickory, ect. 

[JackCrafty]

Try this link:

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/

Here's a quote from the article:

Despite the very long list of woods below, very few woods are actually toxic in and of themselves. But what a great number of woods do have the potential to do is cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Here's the list of references:

References:
Woods Toxic to Man, author unknown
Woods, B., Calnan, C.D., Toxic Woods, Br. Journal of Dermatology, 1976
ILO Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety 1983
Lame, K., McAnn, MEDIUM., AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants, AMA 1985
Poisondex, Micromedix Inc. 1990
List of woods and toxicity characteristics, Roy Banner, 1989
Toxic Woods Information Sheet, (Woodworking sheet #30), Health and Safety Executive, UK
Campbell, Bruce, Wood/Dust Toxicity, 2006
Ellis, Neil, Health Hazards & Wood, 1998
Mitchell, John, and Arthur Rook, Botanical Dermatology, 1979
Pentz, Bill, Medical Risks, 2008
Timbers & Health, Woodturners Society of Queensland, Inc.
Chudnoff, Martin, Tropical Timbers of the World, Forest Products Laboratory, 1980
Kukachka, Francis, Properties of Imported Tropical Woods, Forest Products Laboratory, 1969
Sims, Michael, and Erica Skadsen, Wood Hazards, BMEzine.com LLC, 2006
Forest Products Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture
 

[mullet]

I wonder if I made some spoons from Cascarra

[BowEd]

People warned me about making pipe stems from sumac yeas ago.I did it anyway.Tea was made from the seed heads too.There is nothing wrong with it.
PS....Possibly if enough sawdust from the wood got into your lungs a problem would occur.

[Pat B]

Brian, try the State University Horticulture Dept. or your local Cooperative Extension Service. They should have a list.

[DC]

From what I've read poisonous plants usually put their toxins in the foliage, the part animals eat.

[Hawkdancer]

Ed, according to several Native American craftsmen, sumac is the preferred wood for pipe stems.  That is what mine is made of.  Finding a straight enough piece for a long stem pipe is the challenge !
Hawkdancer

[Hawkdancer]

Might also try a "smoke" test with a small amount so shavings and bark to see if you get a negative reaction - open pot burn, sniff from a short distance away. 
Hawkdancer

[DC]

If you have any "curious" effects let us know

[vinemaplebows]

Thanks for the pointers guys. Pat I will follow up with that. When you are making things that people will inhale with while burning, It does draw a concern.

[vinemaplebows]

I wonder if I made some spoons from Cascarra

Want some? With opioid induced constipation being at a all time high, you may have a line! On a serious note, don't think there would be a problem with using it for spoons. Darn easy to carve as well!

[mullet]

 

[Lucasade]

I have a similar problem quite often as I'm a gardener and clients ask what is safe to have around their children and other pets. The difficulty is extracting what is genuinely dangerous from what may cause an issue if you consume several kilos of the stuff. I've found reports from hospitals with historical admission records can be useful if you can find them.