Results from a recent study of residential wood heating in Hobart (Todd,
2001) found no apparent correlation between average visible smoke and age
of woodheaters results of the study indicate that AS4013 certified heaters
do not produce less visible smoke. By implication, the overriding
determinant of emissions is operating practice.Extract from a Scoping
Study submitted to Environment Australia in May 2001 (refer www.ea.gov.au/atmosphere/airquality/woodsmoke/tamarstudy.html).
If you can see or smell smoke then you are causing a problem for yourself,
your family and your neighbours.NSW EPA.
Woodheaters and fireplaces are significant sources of particles and carbon
monoxide. In some locations, they contribute more than half the total
load and are responsible for regular exceedences of ambient air quality
limits. Environment Australia.
Wood smoke causes health problems by choking our lungs. The most vulnerable
are those with existing lung disease. Dr James Markos, Australian
Lung Foundation.
Individuals should avoid burning wood in homes where less polluting heating
alternatives are available. The American Lung Association.
With a wood heater, unlike many other appliances, if you use the heater
badly you can produce up to 100 times as much smoke as using it really well,
and this is a huge difference, and you can imagine if all it takes is perhaps
5 percent of the wood heater users to be using them badly and suddenly you’ve
got a problem from just five percent. Dr J Todd, University of
Tasmania 2002.
Wood smoke contains chemicals that we know can affect our health.
Some of these cause respiratory (breathing) problems, and others are known
to cause cancer. Environment Australia.
The estimates of particle emissions from wood heaters in Brisbane are comparable
to Sydney despite the warmer climate and smaller population size in Brisbane.
Draft National Environment Protection Measure and Impact Statement for
Ambient Air Quality 1997.
Of the pollutant load contributed through human activity, domestic fuel
use appears to contribute some 16% of the total particle load, 5% of VOCs
and 6.5% of carbon monoxide. Clearly this is a substantial source
of emissions and specific strategies are warranted to target domestic solid
fuel appliances, such as solid fuel heaters and wood stoves. Smoke
from these sources was also identified by the community as having significant
local pollution impacts. South East Queensland Regional Air Quality
Strategy 1999.
What log fires put in the air. Toxic Toll - Particle pollution
from domestic wood burners: Winter weekend 46.5 tonnes a
day. Winter weekday 34.6 tonnes. Motor vehicles: Winter
weekend 14.8 tonnes a day, Winter weekday 18.3 tonnes." Sunday
Telegraph (Sydney) 3rd June 2001 (Consider the ratio of wood heaters to
motor vehicles).