Heating With Wood Air Quality: Protecting Your Health

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Heating With WoodAir Quality Protecting Your
Health

• Matt Duvall
• Basin Educator for Natural Resources
• Central Wisconsin

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Overview

• Air Pollution from Wood Smoke
• Outdoor Air Pollution
• Indoor Air Pollution
• Potential Impacts on Your Health
• Environmental Safety
• How to Heat with Wood Safely

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Outdoor Air Pollution

• SMOKE is the Problem, Ash is a Sign
• Fine Particulate Matter
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
• Tars
• Formaldehyde
• Benzene
• Dioxin

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Indoor Air Pollution

• Equipment
• Non-Airtight By-products of Burning Inside Your
  Home
• Proper Venting
• Smoldering Fires
• Carbon Monoxide
• Outdoor Air Pollution gets Inside
• Through Closed Windows and Doors
• For You and For Your Neighbors

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Impacts on Your Health

• Respiratory (Lung) Disease
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Heart Disease
• Irritate Mucous Membranes
• Carcinogenic

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Environmental Safety

• Greenhouse Gases
• Trees are Renewable
• Trees Capture Carbon
• Acid Rain
• Two Thumbs up for Wood
• Particulate Matter
• Old Technology can be Dirty
• New Technology Significant Improvement

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How to Heat with Wood Safely

• Use a Modern High-Efficiency Airtight Stove (EPA
  Certified)
• Burn Clean Dry Wood Only
• Burn Small Hot Fires
• DO NOT Burn Garbage
• DO NOT Burn Treated Wood

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Use Modern Equipment

• Air-Tight
• No By-Products in Home
• Proper Ventilation
• Installed by Professionals
• High Efficiency (EPA Certified)
• Less Pollution Outside

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Its All in the Fuel

• Well Seasoned Wood
• Small Split Pieces

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Burning Garbage is Poisonous

• Modern Garbage It Aint the
• Good Ole Days Anymore

• Acid Vapors
• Carcinogenic Tars
• Dioxins
• Furans
• Halogenated Hydrocarbons
• Sulfur Dioxide

• Heavy Metals
• Lead
• Cadmium
• Chromium
• Barium
• Arsenic
• Mercury

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Summary

• Careless Burning can Produce Harmful Pollution
• Careful Burning can be Clean and Environmentally
  Conscientious
• Use Modern Equipment
• Burn Clean Dry Wood Only
• Burn Small Hot Fires

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Questions?

• Recommended Websites
• www.woodheat.org
• www.woodstovechangeout.org
• www.outdoorwoodfurnaces.org
• http//hpba.org/consumer/2/