December 9, 2003 – The comforting smell of a good wood fire could have a significant cost to health, if we are to believe the research of an American scientist.
Franz Vajda of Cornell University in New York State says wood smoke contains more than 7,000 toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, irritant and smelly substances. Many of these substances, such as carbon monoxide and fine particles, are also found in cigarette smoke. Wood smoke could therefore also be responsible for certain respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Other less well-known substances, such as formaldehyde, have also been detected. It is said to cause coughing attacks, headaches and eye irritation, and it could trigger asthma attacks in people who have it.
The problem is more glaring than one might think. A study carried out recently by Quebec researchers has established that, in neighborhoods where more than 30% of households have wood heating, the concentration of inhalable particles (those with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns and which can go to lodge in the lungs) could be more important than downtown.
Stoves that meet the standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency or the Canadian Standards Association remove 90% of the pollutants produced by burning wood. However, in Quebec, a regulation prohibiting the sale of stoves that do not meet these standards is still pending, even if it has been demanded for a long time.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
From Destination Santé and Le Soleil; January 25 and November 3, 2003.
