1. ^aUS Environmental Protection Agency, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Mobile Source Research Lab, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
2. ^bUS Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
3. ^cManTech Environmental Technology Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

Correspondence: R Baldauf, US EPA, 109 T.W. Alexander Dr., Durham, NC 27711, USA. Tel: +919 541 4386; Fax: +919 541 0905; E-mail: Baldauf.richard@epa.gov

Received 17 June 2005; Accepted 2 December 2005; Published online 25 January 2006.

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 2.5 m 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.