"Doug Payne" wrote in message
...
On 28/03/2006 3:56 PM, RayV wrote:
I've searched the wreck archives, osha site, googled the web... all I
can find are anecdotal statements.

"sawdust can explode..."
"any combustible material in dust form is explosive..."

When I was younger, I worked a couple of summers on Great Lakes boats
carrying wheat. That dust can definitely explode:

http://www.fireworld.com/magazine/grainperil.html
http://osuextra.okstate.edu/pdfs/CR-1737web.pdf

Under the right conditions and in the right amounts, sawdust is no
different:

http://www.cep.ca/health_safety/files/wooddust_e.html
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis1.pdf
http://www.healthandsafety.co.uk/hswd.html
http://www.dol.state.nc.us/osha/etta...s/CombDust.pdf

And on and on...

Flour would be another prime example. I'm sure we're all familiar with the
many reports of kitchen dust explosions when flour particles became airborne
and explosively ignited from a lit burner on the stove.

todd