Influence of Saw Chain Type and Wood Species on the Mass Concentration of Airborne Wood Dust during Cross-Cutting

• Published in: Forests Vol. 13; no. 12; p. 2009
• Main Authors: Dado, Miroslav, Kučera, Marián, Salva, Jozef, Hnilica, Richard, Hýrošová, Tatiana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 30.11.2022
• Subjects: Aerosols; Beech; Chain saws; Chains; chainsaw; Chamfering; Comparative analysis; Cross cutting; Distribution; Dust; Environmental aspects; Experiments; Hand tools; mass concentration; Mechanical properties; Oak; Particle size; Real time operation; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory system; Risk analysis; Risk factors; Statistical analysis; Trees; Variance analysis; Wood; wood dust; Wood waste; Slovakia; United States > US; Germany
• ISSN: 1999-4907; 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f13122009

Chainsaw operation is associated with several hazards, including exposure to wood dust, a risk factor which requires serious attention due to health impacts such as respiratory disease. This study aims to investigate the effect of saw chain type and wood species on the mass concentration of airborne wood dust during chainsaw cross-cutting operations. Real-time inhalable and respirable dust measurements in the breathing zone of the chainsaw operator were carried out using a desktop aerosol monitor. Three types of cutter shape (semi chisel, full chisel, and chamfer chisel) and four types of wood species (oak, beech, spruce, and fir) were used in the experiments. The split-plot ANOVA results showed that both respirable and inhalable mass concentrations of wood dust were affected exclusively by wood species. No statistically significant differences were found among particular levels of cutter shape. The highest average mass concentrations of airborne dust were generated by the combination of oak wood and a full chisel cutter.