Air contaminant exposures during the operation of lawn and garden equipment

Abstract

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Small Engine Exposure Study (SEES) to evaluate potential exposures among users of small, gasoline-powered, non-road spark-ignition (SI) lawn and garden engines. Equipment tested included riding tractors, walk-behind lawn mowers, string trimmers, and chainsaws. Personal and background air quality measurements were collected on equipment operators for carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter p2.5 mm in aerodynamic diameter (PM 2.5 ), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and aldehydes. PM 2.5 measurements included continuous and integrated mass, elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), and trace metals. Aldehyde measurements included speciation for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. The results demonstrated that equipment operators can experience elevated exposures to CO, PM 2.5 and air toxics while operating these engines. Ten-second average CO personal exposures spanned over two orders of magnitude, with short-term concentrations exceeding 120 p.p.m. for some engine applications tested. PM 2.5 concentrations averaged over each engine test period also spanned two orders of magnitude. The results also suggest that health standards, such as the CO and PM 2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), may be exceeded for certain equipment types under certain operating scenarios. Aldehyde measurements suggested exposures from primary engine emissions that exceed typical ambient concentrations, but do not exceed occupational health standards. Continuous exposure measurements illustrated the important role of the operator's activity and environmental conditions in affecting exposure levels.

Not Only Trees Matter—Traffic-Related PM Accumulation by Vegetation of Urban Forests

“…Lawns offer fewer ecosystem services (biodiversity, food for pollinators, habitat for invertebrates) and require higher maintenance costs than a meadow [64]. In addition, lawns require mowing, which results in additional air pollutant emissions [65].…”

Fuel Consumption Test Results for a Self-Adaptive, Maintenance-Free Wood Chipper Drive Control System

“…In such cases, mobile chipping machines equipped with small engines are used. These devices affect the natural environment (locally and globally), as well as the people who operate them [11]. The internal combustion engines powering these machines also consume non-renewable energy sources and emit harmful exhaust gases and noise [12][13][14][15][16][17].…”

Occupational scenarios and exposure assessment to formaldehyde: A systematic review

“…As shown in Table 5, three studies [85][86][87] Other monitored occupational activities and/or scenarios included gardening activities, 88 vehicles such as taxi, bus and subway, 89 highway tollbooth, 90 gas station, 91 school campus as a micro-scale society, 92 dry cleaning shops, 93 copy centers. 94 In most cases, exposure to formaldehyde was evaluated with active and/or passive environmental and active and/or passive personal sampling with 2,4-DNPH cartridges and HPLC with UV/VIS or UV/DAD detector.…”