Numerous studies reporting on the health effects of wood dust have been published over many decades. For the clear majority of these studies, their use for setting a science-based occupational exposure level is problematic due generally to insufficient exposure measurement data, inadequate participant follow-up, and lack of control for confounding variables. However, there exists a robust data set from a large longitudinal lung function study that provides a scientifically sound basis for establishing an occupational limit of 5 mg/m3 inhalable wood dust. The choice of this data set and its application for this purpose are presented in this review.