Impact of the wood combustion in an open fireplace on the air quality of a living room: Estimation of the respirable fraction

Castro, Amaya; Calvo, Ana; Blanco-Alegre, C.; Oduber, Fernanda; Alves, Célia; Coz, Esther; Amato, Fúlvio; Querol, Xavier; Fraile, Roberto

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.001

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…A 'leakage' would result in a more uniform shape, and, thus, the presence of the smaller spikes cannot be explained. This echoes Salthammer et al's findings [35] and provides further support for the theory of opening doors being the cause of the indoor air pollution seen rather than a leakage, which appears to be more common to open fires than 'closed' stoves (see [54]). The PM fraction gets dispersed quickly throughout the room due to its smaller size, reverting to lower hourly average concentrations.…”

Section: Hourly Peak Pm Average Higher Than Daily Pm Averagesupporting

confidence: 80%

Indoor Air Pollution from Residential Stoves: Examining the Flooding of Particulate Matter into Homes during Real-World Use

et al. 2020

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This study concerns the levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM1) released by residential stoves inside the home during ‘real world’ use. Focusing on stoves that were certified by the UK’s Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), PM sensors were placed in the vicinity of 20 different stoves over four weeks, recording 260 uses. The participants completed a research diary in order to provide information on time lit, amount and type of fuel used, and duration of use, among other details. Multivariate statistical tools were used in order to analyse indoor PM concentrations, averages, intensities, and their relationship to aspects of stove management. The study has four core findings. First, the daily average indoor PM concentrations when a stove was used were higher for PM2.5 by 196.23% and PM1 by 227.80% than those of the non-use control group. Second, hourly peak averages are higher for PM2.5 by 123.91% and for PM1 by 133.09% than daily averages, showing that PM is ‘flooding’ into indoor areas through normal use. Third, the peaks that are derived from these ’flooding’ incidents are associated with the number of fuel pieces used and length of the burn period. This points to the opening of the stove door as a primary mechanism for introducing PM into the home. Finally, it demonstrates that the indoor air pollution being witnessed is not originating from outside the home. Taken together, the study demonstrates that people inside homes with a residential stove are at risk of exposure to high intensities of PM2.5 and PM1 within a short period of time through normal use. It is recommended that this risk be reflected in the testing and regulation of residential stoves.

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Section: Hourly Peak Pm Average Higher Than Daily Pm Averagesupporting

confidence: 80%

Indoor Air Pollution from Residential Stoves: Examining the Flooding of Particulate Matter into Homes during Real-World Use

et al. 2020

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“…It has been demonstrated, for example, that emissions of the ignition phase from a fireplace or stove may be one order of magnitude higher than those observed during the flaming phase. Concentrations spikes are also registered during the ash removal stage at the end of the combustion cycle [46]. The unequal behavior between gases (e.g., CO and formaldehyde) and particles may be determined by stove conditions that differentially influence the emission and dispersal of the various pollutants [47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Biomass Home Heating, Cooking Styles, and Bread Toasting on the Indoor Air Quality at Portuguese Dwellings: A Case Study

et al. 2018

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This study evaluated the emissions of specific indoor sources usually present in Portuguese dwellings in order to understand their impact on the indoor air quality. With this aim, three typical activities were studied including home heating using two types of fireplaces (open and closed) and biofuels (pinewood and briquettes), cooking styles (frying and boiling) in different types of kitchen appliances, and several levels of bread toasting. The levels of specific pollutants were found to be above the established Portuguese limit values including VOCs, formaldehyde, and particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ). Although these emissions are transient and short in duration, the resulting concentrations are high and can severely impact the occupants' daily exposure. Besides promoting good ventilation, the choice of residential appliances with low emissions should be taken into account. In addition, it is important that occupants perform specific activities following the best practices so that their exposure to pollutants is minimized.

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“…Most people, however, spend the majority of their time indoors, not outdoors. Recent measurements of indoor PM associated with the cleaning, lighting and burning of wood-burning open fires in the home have identified PM2.5 concentrations as high as 30 to 50 μg/m 3 (Castro et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indoor particulate air pollution from open fires and the cognitive function of older people

Maher

O’Sullivan

Feeney

et al. 2021

Environmental Research

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Exposure to indoor air pollution is known to affect respiratory and cardiovascular health, but little is known about its effects on cognitive function. We measured the concentrations and magnetite content of airborne particulate matter (PM) in the indoor environment arising from burning peat, wood or coal in residential open fires. Highest indoor PM2.5 concentrations (60 µg/m 3 , i.e. 2.4 times the WHO-recommended 24-hour mean) occurred when peat was burned, followed by burning of coal (30 µg/m 3 ) and wood (17 µg/m 3 ). Conversely, highest concentrations of coarser PM (PM10-2.5) were associated with coal burning (20 µg/m 3 ), with lower concentrations emitted during burning of wood (10 µg/m 3 ) and peat (8 µg/m 3 ). The magnetic content of the emitted PM, greatest (for both PM size fractions) when coal was burned, is similar to that of roadside airborne PM. Exposure to PM, and to strongly magnetic airborne PM, can be greater for individuals spending ~5 hours/day indoors with a coal-burning open fire for 6 months/year compared to those commuting via heavily-trafficked roads for 1 hour/day for 12 months/year. Given these high indoor PM and magnetite concentrations, and the reported associations between (outdoor) PM and impaired neurological health, we used individual-level data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) to examine the association between the usage of open fires and the cognitive function of older people. Using a sample of nearly seven thousand older people, we estimated multi-variate models of the association between cognitive function and open fire usage, in order to account for relevant confounders such as socio-economic status. We found a negative association between open fire usage and cognitive function as measured by widely-used cognitive tests such as word recall and verbal fluency tests. The negative association was largest and statistically strongest among women, a finding explained by the greater exposure of women to open fires in the home because they spent more time at home than men. Our findings were also robust to stratifying the sample between old and young, rich and poor, and urban and rural.

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Impact of the wood combustion in an open fireplace on the air quality of a living room: Estimation of the respirable fraction

Cited by 19 publications

References 41 publications

Indoor Air Pollution from Residential Stoves: Examining the Flooding of Particulate Matter into Homes during Real-World Use

Indoor Air Pollution from Residential Stoves: Examining the Flooding of Particulate Matter into Homes during Real-World Use

Impact of Biomass Home Heating, Cooking Styles, and Bread Toasting on the Indoor Air Quality at Portuguese Dwellings: A Case Study

Indoor particulate air pollution from open fires and the cognitive function of older people

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