Emissions from wood burning hang in the neighbourhood air during freezing weather

According to HSY’s monitoring, wood burning reduces the air quality in detached housing areas in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, especially on cold winter nights. In this case, the emissions released from the chimney do not get diluted, but rather hang low in the air in people’s yards. Wood burning produces fine particles and PAHs, in particular, which are harmful to human health.

Weather conditions and wood burning methods affect the amount of emissions

The use of fireplaces generates smoke, i.e. emissions into the air. According to the monitoring by the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority (HSY), wood burning produces, among other things, a large amount of fine particles and PAHs that increase the risk of cancer. The smoke nuisance from wood burning is particularly affected by weather conditions and whether people are using the proper methods.

• “Although most people are not affected by the smoke from wood burning, it can cause serious symptoms for asthmatics, for example. The smoke can also travel indoors from outside”, says Outi Väkevä, Expert in Air Quality at HSY.

The concentrations of air pollutants from wood burning will be lower during windy weather, when the air pollutants get diluted more easily than in severe freezing conditions. The methods used in wood burning also have a significant impact on the amount of emissions released into the neighbourhood.

• “Everyone can influence the air quality in the area they live in. Learning to burn wood in the best possible way has a big impact on the amount of emissions. The most important thing is to burn only dry wood and no waste of any kind, such as milk cartons or plastic wrappers”, Väkevä advises.

Tips for low-emission wood burning

Väkevä gives eight effective tips on how everyone can reduce harmful emissions from wood burning.

1. Use only dry wood. Never burn any waste.
2. Follow the instruction manual of your own fireplace.
3. Remove any ashes from the firebox and from under the grate. Make sure that the chimney flue is working properly.
4. Stack the wood loosely and horizontally.
5. Fill no more than half of the firebox. Burn the wood in several batches.
6. Light the wood from or near the top unless otherwise instructed in the instruction manual.
7. Make sure that there is enough air available for the combustion.
8. Monitor the colour of the smoke coming from the chimney. The lighter the colour, the cleaner the wood burns.

More information:

• Tips for proper wood burning: Burn Wood Cleanly website
• Expert in Air Quality Outi Väkevä, firstname.lastname(at)hsy.fi