Like many parts of the country, Bristol has seen a huge increase in the number of homes installing wood-burning burners over the past decade. But as they have proliferated, mainly in the richer areas of the city where many Victorian and Georgian houses have been renovated, so has the fear of causing pollution.
And now a group of citizen scientists involved in the first community-led project targeting the toxic smoke from wood-burning burners has discovered new evidence of its dangers.
Ten volunteers based in a fast-growing neighborhood of Bristol with one of the highest concentrations of solid fuel combustion appliances in the city reported 11 breaches of the World Health Organization’s daily guidelines for to contamination by ultra-fine particles over a period of six months.
The project is believed to be the first in which volunteers have received affordable monitoring technology to measure pollution caused in part by domestic combustion.
Sensors were placed throughout the Ashley neighborhood, which includes disadvantaged parts of St Pauls and the wealthier neighborhoods of Bristol such as Montpelier. Oluwatosin Shittu, 40, who lives in St Pauls, found that his sensor detected more pollution over the weekend when some residents were burning firewood and during rush hour when cars were queuing on local roads.
“On the weekend [pollution] it was high because it was obviously going up the hill [in Montpelier] people were burning firewood, “he said.
Steve Crawshaw, who manages the project for the board, said burning firewood was a serious and growing problem. He added that the number of days exceeding the WHO pollution guidelines in the room was in line with the city average, but it was still a cause for concern.
Burning and burning of firewood produce tiny particles in the air, called PM 2.5, or fine particles 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, which can pass through the lungs and bloodstream, causing cardiovascular problems, disease. respiratory and cancer.
“The evidence is that virtually any level of PM 2.5 is harmful; there is no threshold below which no health effects are seen,” Crawshaw said. “There are about 300 deaths a year in Bristol due to poor air quality and at least half of those deaths, 150, are reduced to PM 2.5.”
The number of solid fuel appliances, such as wood-burning burners installed in Bristol, increased sevenfold in the decade after 2007, with just over 900 installations recorded in 2017.
“It simply came to our notice then. In the 1950s, at least 4,000 people were killed in five days by London smog, “said Crawshaw.” This led to the act of cleaning up the air, and then natural gas began to enter the houses in the sixties. Most people stopped burning firewood because it was dirty and uncomfortable. It has now become a fashionable lifestyle choice. “
The council hopes the project will raise awareness about the health impact of wood smoke and encourage residents to turn on central heating instead of charging wood-burning burners during the colder months. Crawshaw added: “We want citizen scientists to become ambassadors for the community to improve air quality and help change behavior in the city.”
Since the beginning of the year, all new wood burners sold should be called “ecodesign,” but Crawshaw said, “Even though people burn clean, dry firewood, these stoves are still very polluting compared to the gas and electricity “.
The smoke from the living room doesn’t just come from the middle class houses. There is a community of vans in the area, with some firewood to keep warm. Rising energy costs are also driving some families struggling to reuse open fires.
“More and more people are warming up by having an open fire in a room and turning off the central heating,” he said. “We recognize that some people living in poverty have no alternative. We are not saying “we need to freeze,” but we are taking a socially just approach. “
The latest analysis by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reveals that wood burners and open fires are now responsible for 17% of the country’s total pollution by PM 2.5, more than the pollution caused. for wheeled traffic. At the national level, emissions from domestic combustion of firewood increased by 35% between 2010 and 2020.
The government is considering introducing a new target for small particles of 10 micrograms per cubic meter for England by 2040. However, this is close to existing levels in cities such as Bristol and the established safe double concentrations by the WHO.
A Defra spokesman said PM 2.5 pollution had been reduced by 18% since 2010, but more needs to be done: “We have legislated the phasing out of the sale of the most polluting solid fuels in domestic combustion and we “We are committed to reducing emissions everywhere. All modes of transport.”