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Coal and wood smoke from domestic fires is a threat to your health and likely to shorten your life. This site is intended to raise awareness about the damage to human health caused by breathing smoke from the domestic combustion of coal and wood. Whilst there is every intention to be truthful and accurate both in fact and conclusion, visitors to this site may consider some aspects of the material contained herein open to debate. This is a campaigning site with the aim of encouraging a ban of emissions from domestic fires where they are harmful to human health. Revisions to this site are ongoing and take advantage of improved research and greater availability of information. Two other notable campaigning sites are the American Burning Issues site and the Australian Armidale Air Quality site. Latest reports: UK Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution - Long term exposure to air pollution; effect on mortality. 18th June 2009 Fine-Particulate Air Pollution and Life Expectancy New England Journal of medicine Volume 360:376-386 January 2009 February 2009: UK applies for exemption from part of European air quality 2008 directive. See here . Summary Smoke pollution, especially tiny particles known as PM2.5's have a large impact upon death rates. Domestic fires are an important source of these particles, so much so that the present UK annual death rate from home fire pollution is possibly close to 10 000. There is now a large body of literature concerning the health effects of air pollution from which we now understand that even a low concentration of pollutants can have significant impact upon morbidy and mortality rates. We also understand that solid fuel emissions from domestic chimneys contribute largely to those concentrations. The main pollutant of concern is smoke particles especially those which are less than ten micrometres across (same as a hundredth of a millimetre). These are known as PM10's. The fraction of PM10's which are less than 2.5 micrometres across are known as PM2.5's. Particles of this size penetrate deep into the lung and deposit pollutants into the blood stream. Recent studies suggest that the increase in the annual death rate is about 6 percent for each annual increase of 10µg/m3 in the ambient air of PM2.5. Some regard clean air to contain, on average, 5µg/m3 or less of PM2.5. The UK is poised to adopt an air quality objective of 25µg/m3 in 2010. (**) The main sources which are close to our breathing zones are, firstly, road transport, especially diesel vehicles, and, secondly, domestic chimneys. In built up areas, where wood and coal burning is common, then domestic fire sourced particles are likely to be the main source. One home fire burning just one tonne a year of bituminous coal will emit more PM10 particles than 30 Euro IV standard diesel cars each driving 20 000km per annum. The present annual urban UK (where over 80% of the population live) PM10 emission from road transport is 8 000 tonne (2008). If we imagine that there is just one million tonne of solid fuel being burnt at the smokeless limit in urban areas, then home fire domestic emissions are 5000 tonne. Such emission levels will keep the PM2.5 in average ambient air below the 25µg/m3 limit but with the fashion and official encouragement for wood burning could easily make domestic fires the main source and bring urban areas up to the EU limit. Thus it is possible that domestic solid fuel fires could cause in excess of 30 000 deaths each year, mostly by cardiovascular disease but also with a large minority being respiratory disease including lung cancer. The numbers have been deduced from widespread air pollution statistical studies. One example of a dramatic pollution intervention is when Dublin, the capital of Ireland, banned the domestic burning of bituminous coal in 1990, the reduction in the number dying each year was 360 equivalent to an immediate 5.7% reduction in the annual death rate.(***) This result is in line with statistical predictions and provides firm evidence for a large health impact of large scale solid fuel home fires especially in urban areas. Please refer to: *Health Effects Institute reanalysis of the six city and American Cancer Society studies from here and especially to references 1; 2; 3 and 23. ** See EU air quality standards *** See Lancet article Effect of air pollution on death rates in Dublin, Ireland: an intervention study 19 October 2002 Present European air quality standards
Latest European air quality standards for PM 2.5 All urban, suburban and rural areas are required to achieve annual limits of 25ug/m3 by 2015 and 20ug/m3 by 2020. Each national average is to be 20ug/m3 by 2015 but by 2020, national averages are to be in the range 8.5ug/m3 to 18ug/m3 depending on the national average in 2010. Reference: European Union 2008 air quality directive Latest World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines
Reference: http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E87950.pdf
UK air pollution emissions data (kilotonne except for BaP) Reference: UK Air quality strategy 2007 page12 vol 2 Pollutant 2005 2010 PM10 148 134 PM2.5 81 73 NOx 1413 1119 SO2 795 484 VOCs 990 848 B[a]P (kg) 11,463 11,182 Benzene 11.3 10.1 Emissions of PM10 from domestic combustion is roughly 2/3rds that of road transport. (page 14 volume 2 of UK Air Quality Strategy 2007) |
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