Content of respirable and inhalable fractions in dust created while sawing beech wood and its modifications

This paper presents the results of the granulometric analysis of sawdust, created during the sawing of modified and unmodified beech wood with a circular saw. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of the treatment of beech wood (Fagus sylvatica L.) on the content of respirable and inhalable particles in sawdust generated during the sawing process using a modern circular saw. Different methods of particle-size determination were used. The results obtained from the sieve analysis prove that the sawdust created during the cutting of DMDHEU was finer than the sawdust from native beech and other modified materials. It was also discovered that the dust created during the cutting of Bendywood was finer than when machining native beech and Lignamon. There was an increase in the share of fine fraction in the range of granularity x < 100 μm at the expense of the fraction x = 0.25–1 mm. The properties of Lignamon are primarily based on the properties of raw wood material, therefore this modified material had a similar cumulative particle-size distribution to the native beech dust.