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ŠUMARSKI LIST 3-4/2023 str. 24     <-- 24 -->        PDF

used that can compare to the high performance and pros of existing two-stroke hand-held chainsaws in timber production.
The chainsaw is used as an important forestry tool due to its powerful two-stroke engine, lightweight and ergonomic design, and continues to exist in timber production in mountainous terrains. Although these powerful tools are very useful and ergonomic, they are full of rules to be considered in terms of occupational health and safety. Hence, considering the intensity of the use of chainsaws in forestry, research on occupational health and the effects of chainsaws on operators has been growing (Iftime et al. 2022).
There are various factors that affect the health and safety of chainsaw operators working in open areas and difficult terrain conditions. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in terms of occupational health and safety, forestry activities pose among the highest risks and most hazardous in terms of accidents (Acar and ªentük 1999; ILO 2011). As a result, legislation and research on worker health and safety issues began to become more and more important. In this way, it has become a priority to make sure that workers operate in safe and healthy conditions; preventing or minimizing exposure to occupational accidents or occupational diseases (Acar and Üçüncü 2020).
In the area of operator health and safety, the noise (Tunay and Melemez 2008; McLain et al. 2021; Akay et al. 2022), dust (Dimou et al. 2020), and vibration (Tunay and Tuna 2015; Landekiæ et al. 2020), and the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (Cheþa et al., 2018) that forest workers are exposed to while using chainsaws are the important research topics. Exposures and their effects have been observed and confirmed through previous research. Chainsaw operator exposure to the exhaust gases of chainsaws with two-stroke engines, which use fossil-derived fuels, is one of the most critical issues because the chainsaw operator exposed to the exhaust gas may face respiratory diseases. (Iftime et al. 2022).
In recent years, detailed studies have been conducted on dust and gas exposure related to other forest production tools (such as chainsaws) (Leszczyñski 2014; Hooper et al. 2017; Marchi et al. 2017; Dimou et al. 2019; Dimou et al. 2020; Taº and Akay, 2022). Neri et al. (2016) evaluated the exposure of harmful gases emitted by chainsaws in different fuel types to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylene, and total xylene). Volckens et al. (2007) investigated the values of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (NO), hydrocarbons (HC), particulate matter (PM2.5), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) produced by different amount of fuel mixtures used in two-stroke engines such as chainsaw. The main adverse effects suffered by chainsaw operators are vibration and noise, as well as exposure to carbon monoxide in the emitted exhaust gases (Arnold and Parmigiani 2015). Due to the incomplete combustion process of a two-stroke engine with internal combustion, different amounts of CO gas are produced. In other words, the combustion process in a two-stroke engine may not be fully realized, and as a result, CO and CO2 gases are expected to be emitted from exhaust outlet in different concentrations. Therefore, it is critical to understand the CO exposure limit, which is an odorless, tasteless, colorless, and short-lived harmful gas that exists in various gases discharged from the exhaust (EU 1995).
Although new brands or engines have been developed for chainsaws, traditional two-stroke engine powered saws are still very commonly used in logging operations (not only logging, cut to length, pruning and peeling but also winching) in many countries. In previous studies, the measured values of exhaust gas released when cutting the trees with different brands of chainsaws were presented. CO exposure measurement studies conducted on chainsaw operators estimated different concentration values and limits. According to Leszczyñski (2014), the short-term exposure value is determined to be 110 ppm (127 mg/m3). In another study, the operator’s short-term exposure to CO with a chainsaw was determined to be 120 ppm (Baldauf et al., 2006). Operators of chainsaws may be exposed to high concentrations (400 ppm) of CO in a short period of time (Bünger et al. 1997). A recent study conducted by Dimou et al. (2019) indicated that the average CO concentration of three different types of chainsaws in the operator’s breathing zone reached 88.32 ppm in open area.
This study evaluated and measured the amount of CO that an operator might inhale when temporarily approaching an idling chainsaw when the chain brake is open. Hence, the carbon monoxide exposure value of the chainsaw operator from the exhaust gas was measured at different distance intervals up to 30 cm. An electronic gas sensor was used to obtain short-time interval CO ppm values from close-range distances from exhaust in an open area.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
MATERIJAL I METODA
Study Area – Podruèje istraživanja
This study was conducted in a pine plantation in the southern part of the campus (Figure 1), Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University (KSU), located in the Avsar campus in the eastern Mediterranean region of Türkiye. Measurements were done outdoors under normal weather conditions with gentle slope. The study area, which has a typical Mediterranean climate, has an altitude of 550 m. The measured air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity of work environment were at 28°C, 0.2-1 m/s and 68%, respectively.