Study finds wet wood dust is just as explosive as dry wood dust

A provincial study looking into safety at sawmills has made a surprising finding about the use of moisture to prevent deadly explosions.

The study finds wet wood dust is just as explosive as dry wood dust, raising questions about the usefulness of misting systems at sawmills in the B.C. interior.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you'll never miss the day's top stories.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Get Started

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The study was ordered after two recent explosions and fires in Prince George and Burns Lake that left four people dead and dozens more hurt.

The authors of the study say more research is needed before sawmills should consider abandoning misting systems.

Misting is also done to knock down wood dust suspended in the air, which was confirmed as the fuel source for both explosions.