Introduction

Contents

History

Health effects

Exposure

Case study

Links

Issues

Way forward

References


Domestic smoke emissions

Smoke / chimney or flue emissions from the combustion of fuel used for home heating is a mixture of  carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water (vapour and droplets), particles which stay suspended in air, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, metals (vapour and attached to particles), dioxins (plus furans and PCB's), benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as other substances.

Table of emissions
(figures are: from the UK national emissions inventory www.naei.org.uk; from recent government measurements taken in the UK or where est - esitmated is deduced from various sources). Also see  table content details .  Note that wood smoke emissions vary a lot depending upon burning method.

Emissions for each kilogram fuel burnt
Pollutant coal
anthracite
wood smokeless solid fuel
Particulates total
14000mg est
4000mg est
11000mg est
6000mg est
PM10
10400mg
3600mg
7900mg
5600mg
PM2.5
4000mg
940mg
6600mg
1500mg
Carbon monoxide
45000mg
45000mg
99000mg
45000mg
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons   (BaP)
185mg
(1.55mg BaP)
9mg est
(0.03mg BaP)
250mg
(1.3mg BaP)
90mg est
(0.33mg BaP)
Furans and dioxins
51ng TE
?ng
13ng TE
?ng
PCB's
1440ng (1.5ngTE)
?ng
556ng (0.37ngTE)
?ng
Total Metals
20mg est
45mg est
2mg est
45mg est
Benzene
580mg
70mg
1590mg
210mg
Sulphur dioxide
20000mg
13000mg
30mg
16000mg
Nitrogen dioxide
1420mg
1600mg
720mg
1320mg
Carbon dioxide (carbon)
2500g (676g )
3000g (813g)
1900g (700g)
2800g (774g)