Home Heating

1. Home Heating More than just staying warm…

2. Types of Home Heating Fuel Sources Propane (LP) Natural Gas Fuel Oil Wood Coal Kerosene Pellets Outdoor wood boilers Electric

3. Combustion Appliance Maintenance • Maintain each heating season • Furnaces • Gas water heaters • Check gas stoves, gas fireplaces • Use care when operating combustion appliances indoors • Make sure burner is properly adjusted and has good ventilation • Ensure condensate pump works, unblocked

4. Backdrafting—Spillage • Appliance not vented properly • Spills or back drafts into living area • Most common test utilizes mirror, as byproducts of combustion contain water vapor, cause mirror to fog • Create worst-case conditions: Negative Pressure • Close all exterior doors and windows • Activate all the exhaust fans • Turn on clothes dryers • Turn on ignite fireplaces

5. Silent Killer: Carbon Monoxide (CO) • You CAN’T • See it • Smell it, or • Taste it…but it can KILL in minutes! • Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned

6. CO Levels (General Guidelines) 0-9 ppm No health risk 35-50 ppm Problems with long term exposure – 8 hrs chronic symptoms of headaches, nausea, tired MOST DETECTOR ALARMS GO OFF 50-70 ppm Exposure - 2-3 hrs Flu like symptoms, headache, nausea 70-200 ppm Exposure - 1 hr Dizziness, fatigue, vomiting 200-800 ppm Minutes of exposure can cause unconsciousness, brain damage, DEATH

9. How CO attacks… • Red blood cells prefer CO to oxygen • If there is enough CO in air, CO replaces oxygen in blood • This blocks oxygen from getting into body, damaging tissues and potentially causing death

10. Common Sources of CO • Blocked flue, chimney, vent pipes • Rusted/cracked furnace heat exchanger • Idling engine in attached garage • Backdrafting, spillage • Maladjusted fuel-fired space heater • Unvented use of BBQ/charcoal indoors • Gas stoves and ranges, water heaters • Outdoor use combustion exhaust near vent/window

11. Not Just CO—Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Colorless, tasteless, with sharp odor Deep lung irritant Eye, nose, respiratory and throat irritation Shortness of breath, narrow airways in asthmatics More respiratory illness (cold/flu) Lung damage/disease with long exposure

12. Particulate Matter (PM) • Eye, nose, throat, lung irritation • Bronchitis, allergies, asthma, respiratory and ear infections, cardiovascular conditions… • Sooting from appliances • Ghosting on walls/ceiling • Candles can create problems • Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) • What is adhered to particle?

14. Sulfur Dioxide • Can work in tandem with PM • Eye, nose, throat, respiratory tract irritation • Respiratory infections, bronchitis • High levels can cause airways to narrow • Asthmatics are especially susceptible

15. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Organic particles and gases Lung, stomach, bladder, skin cancers Nose, throat, eye irritation

16. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) • Changes blood pH levels • Increases respiration rate • Decreases ability to perform strenuous exercise • Postulated increases for long-term exposure • Respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders

17. Water Vapor Major product of combustion Must vent or pump to exterior Not a pollutant but can cause moisture issues

18. Wood Stoves

20. Navajo Coal Combustion and Respiratory Health High rates of respiratory illness Weather patterns include inversions Coal burning power plants Poorly maintained stoves Coal burned in stoves not designed for coal High levels of PM2.5 measured in homes Repairs to existing stoves could improve IAQ Perceptions can lead to incorrect conclusions

22. WoodburningStoves and Respiratory Illness Children in homes with wood stoves used for cooking have five-fold increase in hospitalizations High PM readings found in homes with children needing hospitalizations Encourage improvements in stoves and home ventilation systems

23. Wood Stove Interventions Wood stove changeouts (ambient and indoor) Filtration units (indoor) Best-burn practices (ambient and indoor). Wood banks (ambient)

24. Wood Stove Changeout Program: A Natural Experiment Prospective multi-year study to assess changes in wood smoke PM2.5 and impact on health of school children following intervention • Monitor changes in ambient PM2.5 • Monitor changes in school indoor PM2.5 • Evaluate change in residential indoor PM2.5 following changeout • Track changes in reporting of symptoms and illness-related absences among students

25. Exposure Assessment within Homes

26. Wood stoves

27. Before Changeout 15:22 06:30 19:53 Start Sampling: 10/25/06 @ 14:00 End Sampling: 10/26/06 @ 14:00 Avg = 131.8 μg/m3

28. How does a wood stove changeoutimpact indoor air quality? Old stove 40-60 g smoke/hr EPA-certified stove 2-5 g smoke/hr

29. 2006/2007 Libby Residential PM2.5 Sampling Program • Sampling focused on 20 homes containing wood stoves • 24-hour PM2.5 sampling • Pre-changeout period (Oct/Nov 2006) • Post-changeout (Dec 2006 – Feb 2007) • Goal of program to evaluate impact of “intervention” on indoor air quality within home

30. Libby PM2.5 Mass Results – Pre and Post Stove Change-out Pre-changeout avg PM2.5: 53.4 μg/m3 Post-changeout avg PM2.5: 15.0 μg/m3

31. Results of Multi-Winter Residential Study Overall reductions following wood stove changeoutobserved in 16 of 21 homes

32. Nez Perce Wood Stove Changeout Conducted during winters of 2006/2007, 2007/2008, and 2008/2009 Kamiah and Lapwai, Idaho on Nez Perce Reservation 16 homes

33. Nez Perce Wood Stove Changeout PM2.5 Mass Results ~278% PM2.5 increase Pre-changeout avg PM2.5: 43.1 μg/m3 Post-changeout avg PM2.5: 126.0 μg/m3

34. Nez Perce Wood Stove Changeout PM2.5 Mass Results ~278% PM2.5 increase Pre-changeout avg PM2.5: 43.1 μg/m3 Post-changeout avg PM2.5: 126.0 μg/m3

35. Importance of Training PM2.5 Mass (µg/m3) Measured in Homes Following Outreach/Education. Ward, T.J., Boulafentis, J., Simpson, J., Hester, C., Moliga, T., Warden, K., and Noonan, C.W., 2011. Results of the Nez Perce woodstove changeout program, Science of the Total Environment, 409, 664-670.

36. Wood Stove Changeouts • Effective in reducing ambient PM2.5 • Expensive (~$1500 - $4500) • Learning curve • Results can be variable for indoor air

37. Filtration Units

38. A Randomized Trial for Indoor Smoke (ARTIS) 5-year, NIEHS-funded study Assessing impacts on quality of life among asthmatic children following interventions that reduce in-home wood smoke PM exposures

39. Health Outcome Measures • PAQoL • Peak flow • Symptoms • eNO • Biol. samples • EBC • Urine

40. Indoor Air Sampling

41. Preliminary results of ARTIS interventions 59% Reduction

42. Use of Best-Burn Practices Education coupled with use of inexpensive tools Burn at proper temperatures (thermometer) 270-460 °F is optimal.

43. Use of Best-Burn Practices (cont.) Burn dry, seasoned wood (moisture meter) <20% moisture is optimal

44. Use of Best-Burn Practices (cont.) • Don’t burn trash, etc. • Stove maintenance (ash cleaning, clean out chimneys, etc) EPA Burn Wise Program: http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/

45. Summary—Change Outs Wood stoves a significant source of PM2.5 in both ambient and indoor environments Wood stove changeouts can be effective in reducing ambient wintertime PM2.5–results are more variable indoors Changeouts are expensive Training and education on new stoves essential

46. Summary—Filtration Units Filtration units are consistently effective in improving indoor air in homes with wood stoves Improves indoor air quality by ~60% but does nothing for outdoors Electricity costs are a concern, and units can be noisy

47. Summary—Burning Practices Best-burn practices are inexpensive and sustainable strategies Education, outreach, and training are critical

48. Summary—Other Considerations Each intervention should be culturally and regionally appropriate Interventions need to be sustainable Can we replace wood stoves Passive solar heating