For your own health stop burning wood!!!!!!!!!

Utah Physicians for Healthy Environment

The more we study the science on wood burning, the more we are impressed with it being a major player in the air pollution battle and a unique scourge on public health. It’s like lighting up a “mini-Stericycle” in your own house.

If you are a non-smoker, burning wood in your home is probably the worst thing you can do to your own health, and even worse for your own children. Why would anyone do that? The key is to educate “burners” on what they are doing to their own families. UPHE has made a 30 sec. TV commercial now posted on You Tube, aimed at helping jump start that education process. Share it with everyone you know so we can get the word out.

For your own health stop burning wood

This commercial explains in 30 sec. why heating your home with wood is one of the worst things you can do for your own health. From Utah Physicians for a Hea…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IlDy-tkkJk4

Hout stoken bijzonder gevaarlijk voor kinderen……

Wood burning is child abuse

BRON

If you saw a photo like this would you consider it child abuse?

Or how about this one?

Now consider the effects that smoke has on young lungs?

Now consider that wood smoke has many of the same harmful chemicals that tobacco smoke has and that some studies say that woodsmoke is even more harmful than tobacco smoke. Then it is easy to say that this is what wood smoke is doing to young lungs and that it too is a form of child abuse.

And this is therefore also a form of child abuse:

And this is also a form of child abuse:

There are no proven safe limits of particulate pollution. It harms at all concentrations. It harms the young. It harms newborns. It harms the yet to be born. It harms the old. It harms everyone.

It is completely immoral to burn wood if a child is going to be breathing in the smoke. It is completely immoral to burn wood if anybody is going to be breathing in the smoke.  If you don’t agree then you do have the morals of someone who deliberately harms children and what kind of person would deliberately do that?

***

Whilst you are here read some of the other highlights of this blog:

About the wishy washy anti pollution messages that governments put out: We need to get though to the stupid people.

On how wood burning ruins an entire country :100% Polluted New Zealand

How swapping out old woodburners with new woodburners fails in the real world : Hey Central Otago, What’s Plan B?

How companies are selling rubbish products pretending they’re clean and green:Smartburn and Fluecube.

How many people die because of woodsmoke pollution every year in New Zealand : 2306 Dead.

How cities can and should ban wood burning : Woodburners banned in new Canberra suburbs.

What chemicals are in woodsmoke: What’s in woodsmoke.

Falcon Street Neighbors Toxic Smoke and Fumes are a Nuisance.

Houtrook en de gevolgen daarvan. Overal hetzelfde…………

 

Town of Hempstead East Meadow 26** Falcon Street Neighbors Toxic Smoke and Fumes are a Nuisance. They are a Health Hazard and even more Hazardous to the Elderly and those Suffering from Chronic Respiratory Diseases such as Emphysema and Heart Disease.

Town of Hempstead East Meadow Falcon Street Neighbors Toxic Particulate Smoke and Fumes are Trespassing all over Our Property.

Up in Smoke? Health Impacts from Wood Burning

Newswise — With the winter weather still going strong, lots of people will be restocking the wood pile next to their fireplaces and wood burning stoves. Can using a wood burning stove or fireplace pose a threat to my health?

The health impacts of wood burning have received increased attention from the scientific community in recent years. The recent research activity has focused on the role of wood burning in air pollution, its potential health effects and measures to control the negative impacts. Wood burning is used in a variety of settings including homes, schools and industrial settings around the world. It has been used for a variety of purposes, including generating power, heating, cooking and for recreational purposes. The use of wood has increased in the United States for a variety of reasons, including economic factors and efforts to decrease dependence on oil.

When wood burns it releases a complex mixture of chemicals, including gases and particles. The exact nature of the chemicals released varies depending on a number of factors, including what type of wood is burned, if the wood has been treated and how it is burned. Exposures in particularly susceptible populations, including pregnant women, children or individuals with pre-existing lung or heart disease, are of particular concern.

Scientific studies have included research involving exposing humans to controlled exposures to chemicals released during wood burning. During these studies, changes related to inflammation in the body, including the lungs, were seen. In addition, many studies have looked into the health effects from air pollution released from wood burning. Effects observed have included irritation effects (such as eye irritation), small birth weight in babies, increased ear infections and lung inflammation/decreased lung function. Exposures in particularly susceptible populations, including pregnant women, children or individuals with pre-existing lung or heart disease, are of particular concern.

A number of government efforts have been developed to attempt to decrease the negative impacts of wood burning. For example, programs have been set up to encourage users to switch to newer and more efficient wood burning stoves, to use HEPA filters and/or to switch from wood burning to electricity as a power and heating source. However, wood burning remains relatively unregulated, especially compared to other sources of pollution such as cars. For an example of how outdoor wood burners can impact your neighbors, please view areport written by the nonprofit group Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA).

So, it is important for parents to be aware of the potential for health effects from wood burning exposure at home, in schools (such as where wood is used as a heating source) or in the community. Parents should engage in discussions with their children’s’ healthcare providers and review information from available resources, such as the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), including the resources listed below. For example, the USEPA recommends burning dry and seasoned wood that has been stored and covered and using cleaner burning stoves.

 

Wood smoke pollution

No Shit Sherlock!!!!

BRON

“The air is not as clear in Napier as previously thought – with monitoring showing pollution from winter fires is much higher in some suburbs than others.” – from this story on Stuff.

Well No Shit Sherlock!!!

If they measure it in suburban places where they haven’t measured it before , why the hell are they surprised that there is poor air quality?

It’s the same old story. There are too many woodburners and they just don’t do enough monitoring.

The ambient air quality standards (of PM10 50ug/m3 averaged over 24 hours, with no more than 1 exceedance a year) are a shit standard that allow for much harm and death and really should be tightened, but the aim shouldn’t be to just comply with them. The aim should be to get as close to zero as possible.

From another news story, this time on ABC Australia:

“Deadly air pollution continues to be a problem in Australia because air quality standards are being misused, say experts.

The standards governing six key outdoor pollutants are being interpreted as an acceptable upper limit of pollution, says health statistician Associate Professor Adrian Barnett of the Queensland University of Technology.

But, he adds, this approach is not supported by scientific evidence.”
To paraphrase the A. Professor: “He says many reports to state governments imply it is safe to pollute up to the limits provided in the National Environment Protection Measure for Ambient Air Quality (Air NEPM), but the governments are getting bad advice.”

113 people die each year in Hawke’s Bay. 1175 across all of New Zealand.

They die because politicians have failed at their jobs. The current policies around wood burning are what you get when there is a systemic failure of our governance. They are what we get when we have dumb and gutless politicians.

Wiseup thicko politicians. People are dying on your watch.

We could do more monitoring, paid for by putting an annual tax on woodburners. but the monitoring will tell the same story. Woodburners make pollution. It’s all wood burners. It’s all solid fuels. How much evidence do we need to go to a full ban on all sold fuel burning? We should be tracking at background particulate levels, not bumping around at 50 micrograms of PM10s. Of course we need a ban. It’s elemental my Dear Watson.

Factsheet houtrook

Er zijn meer dan 950.000 houtkachels in gebruik, maar het aantal uren dat gestook wordt, de hoeveelheid hout en andere stoffen en wat hiervan de emissie bedraagt is niet goed bekend bij de overheid. Het grote aantal kachels (neemt in aantal toe), het slechte stookgedrag en de hoge bevolkingsdichtheid van Nederland zorgen er voor dat er in woongebieden grote overlast ontstaat. De rijksoverheid vindt dit een lokaal probleem, maar de gemeenten hebben onvoldoende kennis en middelen om dit probleem aan te pakken. En rook stopt niet bij de gemeentegrens. Welke oplossingen zijn er.

Gezondheidsrisico’s

• Risico op kanker door houtrook is 12x groter dan door tabaksrook.
• Tabaksrook veroorzaakt schade gedurende 30 seconden na inhalering.
• Houtrook blijft 40x langer in het lichaam en veroorzaakt daardoor meer schade (EPA, Rozenberg 2001)
• Houtrook staat op de lijst geurhinder (CBS) op nummer één.
• Houtrook kan het DNA veranderen.
• Houtrook verhoogt de kans op longziekten, hart- en vaatziekten. Mensen met deze aandoeningen lopen nog meer gevaar.
• 1 kg hout is ca 160 microgram dioxines. Getest met verschillende houtsoorten en kachels. (Nestrick, 1982). Dioxine veroorzaakt kanker en leveraandoeningen.
• 5 microgram/M3 PM 2,5 neemt de kans op longkanker met 18% toe.
• 10 microgram/M3 PM 10 neemt de kans op longkanker met 22% toe.
• Zorgwekkend is dat onderzoekers geen grens vonden waaronder het risico nul is.(ESCAPE 17 Europese landen july 2013)
• Kinderen zijn extra kwetsbaar door luchtverontreiniging door houtkachels (Bureau Blauw).
• Het gebruik van houtkachels vergroot de kans op luchtweg aandoeningen ook bij de stoker en medebewoners.

 

Metingen (soort)

• Houtstook is puntbelasting. Metingen die de overheid uitvoert vinden plaats over groot gebied. Gegevens worden gesaldeerd. Cijfers over emissiewaarden van de overheid op lokaal gebied zijn daarom misleidend.
• 17 tot 79% gemeten fijn stof in huizen zijn afkomstig van houtkachels (Naaher).
• Metingen zijn gesaldeerde waarden. Ook de zomeruitstoot wordt meegenomen. Deze zijn niet relevant voor de seizoensgebonden houtstook van kachels.

 

Emissie

• Redelijk schone kachel bij stabiele lucht, koude windstille avond verbranden van 3 kg hout kan een gebied van 200x200m met 50mg/m3 aan fijn stof belasten (ECN).
• 5 microgram/M3 PM 2,5 neemt de kans op longkanker met 18% toe
• 10 microgram/M3 PM 10 neemt de kans op longkanker met 22% toe
• Zorgwekkend is dat onderzoekers geen grens vonden waaronder het risico nul is.(ESCAPE 17 Europese landen july 2013)
• In 2007 ->  25,3 gr dioxines in de lucht waarvan 20,7 gram veroorzaakt werd door consumenten (TEQ).
• 1 kg hout is c.a. 160 microgram dioxines. Getest met verschillende houtsoorten en kachels. (Nestrick, 1982). Dioxine veroorzaakt kanker en leveraandoeningen.
• In fijn stof zitten kankerverwekkende stoffen, naast bijtende en irriterende stoffen, oxidatieve ontstekingbevorderende stoffen en bloeddrukverhogende stoffen.
• Houtrook bestaat  NOx( stikstofoxide), CO koolmonoxide, Polycyclische aromatische koolwaterstoffen ofwel PAK’s , dioxine
• Volgens www.emissieregistratie.nl is houtstook door particulieren de grootste bron fijn stof in Nederland wat betreft fijn stof en dioxines.
• Methaan is erg slecht voor milieu.
• Een houtkachel vervuild 1000x meer dan een gaskachel.
• 17 tot 79% gemeten fijn stof in huizen zijn afkomstig van houtkachels (Naaher).

 

Kachel

• TNO, NEN en DIN keurmerk is gebaseerd op techniek. Zegt weinig over rendement en emissie.
• Onderzoek Den Tonkelaar in 1984 gaf al aan dat 20 % van de huishoudens een houtkachel of open haard heeft.

 

Kosten maatschappij

• Iedere kg verstookt hout kost de maatschappij 4$ (ziek en verloren levensjaren).( US Environmental Protection Agency)
• Stank is hinder. Verlies van woongenot kost € 95,14 – €185,42 per gezin per jaar. ( Rijkswaterstaat)
• Elke kg uitstoot pm10 kost de overheid €376,91 aan gezondheidskosten.
• Gezien de problemen die Nederland heeft om aan de EU eisen van luchtkwaliteit de voldoen is het tijd voor vergaande maatregels. Ook gezien de eisen die waarschijnlijk in 2020 worden gesteld.
• Fijn stof concentratie ligt 25% hoger dan het Europees gemiddelde.

Onze buitenlandse collega’s

https://www.facebook.com/groups/501106566602577/?fref=nf

Wood Smoke and DNA Damage

EPA picture simulating how Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, (PAH) adhere to DNA ( see the white patch).

---

Toxicology 

 Wood smoke particles generate free radicals and cause lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, NFkappaB activation and TNF-alpha release in macrophages.

Leonard SS, Wang S, Shi X, Jordan BS, Castranova V, Dubick MA.

Pathology and Physiology Research Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, M.S. 2015, 1095 Willowdale Road, 26505-2888, Morgantown, WV, USA.

The present study investigated the generation of free radicals by wood smoke and cellular injuries caused by these radicals. Wood smoke was collected after thermolysis of western bark. Electron spin resonance (ESR) techniques were used to measure both carbon-centered radicals and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by wood smoke. Wood smoke, in the presence of H(2)O(2), was found to be able to generate hydroxyl radical (.OH). DNA strand breakage was measured by exposing wood smoke to lambda Hind III fragments using gel electrophoresis. Wood smoke combined with H(2)O(2) caused DNA damage. Sodium formate, an .OH radical scavenger, or deferoxamine, a metal chelator, inhibited the DNA damage. Cellular DNA damage was also measured in cultured RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells by the single cell gel (SCG) electrophoresis assay. Cells were exposed to wood smoke samples for various times and significant DNA damage was observed. Elemental analysis was performed on the filter samples and the presence of Fe was noteworthy. Wood smoke is also able to cause lipid peroxidation, activate nuclear transcription factor, NFkappaB, and enhance the release of TNF-alpha from RAW 264. 7 cells. The results indicate that the free radicals generated by wood smoke through the reaction of Fe with H(2)O(2) are able to cause DNA and cellular damage and may act as a fibrogenic agent.

PMID: 10996671 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]