Thanks and more info
I appreciate all your responses. My replies:
Four years passed between my original reaction to cocobolo, swollen eyelids, and my latest reaction to olivewood, swollen eyelids, face, and neck, itching eyelids, face, neck, and scalp, and some blisters on face and neck. That was three weeks today and still some itching even after a regimen of oral and topical cortico-steroids. In the four years between attack I turned padauk, ebony, bubinga and a few others that I now find on toxicity lists and only ever remember some slight itching from padauk. The only precautions I have been taking were from inhaling sawdust, not for skin contact.
It does seems that once sensitized, always sensitized.
As much trouble as the irritant dermatitis was decontaminating my work area. I wore a lead-paint removal suit, gloves, goggles, and mask and vacuumed and wiped down everything down to individual twist drills and pen blanks - twice. I'm still paranoid I missed something.
I have tried turning plastics, Trustone, and other non-woods and if that is what I'm limited to that is what I will do, but not using wood hurts. My whole retirement plan (maybe 10 years from now) revolved around having a real woodshop for turning and flatwork. I'm hoping there are still some woods I can use; I turned 2 coffee-bean pens today but also a cherry cane - supposedly cherry is safe and I wore goggles that sealed to my face the whole time, hopefully tomorrow my eyes will not be swollen shut!
I have started a list of woods that have not been reported toxic from these two sites:
http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/
http://www.thewoodexplorer.com/
I am wary of even trying these and will be improving dust collection and protection, plus consulting other faculty members at the college I teach at. If I find some that work I will post them here.
TO anyone having used a powered respirator like the Trend Airshield have you found it sealed well? Was the weight a problem and how so?
Thanks again to all who responded.