Be sure to ventilate well. I do a lot of knife sharpening, grinding, modifying in my shop and before I got a good mask, goggles and a BIG fan I used to get headaches and a sore throat.
Be careful, you don't know what toxic elements are lurking in some steels.
I've probably said this before, but it bears repeating:
I was playing a lot of billiards (pool) for a while and used to spend several hours during the day on weekends at a local pool hall. One day I was playing and met an older guy and we played a few games. As I watched him play, I could tell he was experienced, but he had a lot of trouble with consistency. He kept missing easy shots. After a while he told me he had Alzheimer's and couldn't hold his hands steady enough to make every shot.
Then he dropped the bomb: He knew his condition was caused by inhaling metal dust for many years. He was a custom knife maker with an un-airconditioned, non-ventilated workshop out back from his house. Years and years of grinding metal and inhaling it caused his condition. He cautioned me to make sure I didn't ever inhale metal dust.
I've been a little cautious ever since. I mostly use my WSKO outdoors. I wonder, when I get my 1x42 or 2x72 dream belt sander what I should do to combat this? Maybe a constant water spray system? Or some giant, loud, awful vent hood?
I like knives. I love sharpening them. But I love being able to hold my hands still even more.
Brian.