In connection with the beginning of the heating period, the Environmental Board reminds that the burning of domestic waste produced in the household has to be avoided. Dry wood, untreated wood, cardboard and paper without plastic and other untreated natural materials may be burnt in the home furnaces.
Domestic waste produced in the household may not be burnt in the home furnace, fireplace or boiler. “Very toxic pollutants are formed when burning waste which could cause cancer, deformity and retardation. After being emitted into the ambient air, the substances move to the organism of the people via direct inhalation. Toxic substances produced in burning do not pollute just the air, but also deposit on the ground and are carried to the ground water and horticultural products, endangering everyone who consume these products,” explained Dagmar Undrits, Chief Specialist of Ambient Air of the Environmental Board.
Upon the burning of wet wood, more carbon black and carbon monoxide are produced, therefore, the use of dry heating material is preferred. Upon the burning of wood, several pollutants are emitted into the ambient air, for example extra-fine carbon black, carbon monoxide, also various organic compounds which are hazardous to health. The fine particles of carbon black produced in burning may further cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer. Carbon monoxide is a toxic substance which may be lethal in large quantities as it damages the central nervous system and the heart. Although in the furnace-heated residential areas, the ambient air is more polluted during the heating period than in the district-heating residential areas, it is possible to decrease the pollution to a certain extent by using qualitative heating materials.
“In estimation, the burning of the waste produced by one family in the home furnace creates as many toxic compounds as the burning of approximately 200 tonnes of waste in a waste incinerator plant. In the plant, waste is burnt in a stable controlled environment at a temperature range 1000–1100 °C and thus, toxic air pollutants are turned into less hazardous combustion products. However, in the home furnace, the waste is burnt at a lower temperature and the environment is unstable, so the toxic compounds do not burn completely and fluctuation in temperature promotes the formation of gaseous pollutants and pitch,” Dagmar Undrits explained why burning waste at home is hazardous.
Upon burning waste, the concentrations of extra-fine carbon black are much higher when compared to burning clean wood. Insufficient access of air and a great content of released carbon black soot the furnace which, in turn, causes fire safety issues. For more information on fire safety go to the homepage of the Rescue Board.
Additional information:
Dagmar Undrits
Chief Specialist of Ambient Air of the Environmental Board
E-mail: dagmar.undrits@keskkonnaamet.ee
Phone: 680 7423
