About Aurora

Woodsmoke pollution

Woodsmoke vs other forms of pollution
Health risks from woodsmoke
Passive woodsmoke – the facts
Is the air getting cleaner?
Cleaner heating methods
Resource list for further information

Woodsmoke vs other forms of pollution

Unlike pollution in other Australian cities, Tasmania's air pollution is predominantly caused by fires used for domestic heating. In the Tamar Valley, 73% of winter air pollution is caused by woodsmoke from residential heaters (National Pollution Inventory, Department of the Environment and Heritage). The inventory shows just 12% of PM10 pollution is caused by road and pavement dust, 7% by motor vehicles and 6% is industrial emissions.

The high level of woodsmoke pollution is partly due to the natural phenomenon that occurs in valleys called 'inversion'. Inversion means the layer of air near the earth is cooler than an overlying layer. During winter, rather than smoke being blown away by the wind, inversion traps the particles and creates smog. This occurs in many valleys and hollows throughout Tasmania and is easily visible on calm winter days. In fact just about any built-up area reliant on woodheating can be affected.

Health risks from woodsmoke

The major evidence of health risk comes from overseas studies, in the United States and New Zealand, from valleys similar to the Tamar Valley. Measurements that have been done on the particle levels have shown clear evidence that it causes flare-ups of asthma, increased admissions to hospital for lung disease and increased risk of dying of a lung disorder.

For example, when people suffering from asthma breathe in smoky air it provokes a reaction. They feel short of breath, cough and may get wheezy or feel tight in the chest. For many people that might be a nuisance … but those with more serious asthma may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment. Sadly, those few who have an extremely severe respiratory condition can die from the extra burden of exposure to woodsmoke (Dr Jim Markos, Chairman of the Tasmania Branch of the Australian Lung Foundation).

Passive woodsmoke – the facts

Not having a woodheater does not prevent you from suffering the effects of inhaling woodsmoke (CSIRO 2003). Exposure levels appear to be universal throughout an affected community and are higher in winter than in summer. Research shows that if you live in an area like Tamar Valley with many residents using woodheaters and geographically prone to inversion, you will be affected by woodsmoke. There is no way to avoid it but move out of the area.

Is the air getting cleaner?

In 1998, the standard set by the National Environment Protection Council was that emissions of particulates (PM10) should not exceed 50 micrograms per cubic meter on more than five days per year.

In 2001, Launceston exceeded the standard by 28 days! In the following years, the exceedence levels varied from 14 days in 2002, 24 days in 2003, 10 days in 2004 and 14 exceedences in 2005. These variances indicate that there may be a number of other factors that influence pollution levels over any given winter period, such as wind levels, planned burn offs and warm weather.

Cleaner heating methods

It is clear that to reduce air pollution from woodheaters we must look toward cleaner heating methods.

Many professionals rank heating, in terms of which causes the least air pollution, as follows:

electric heating (particularly in Tasmania where our electricity is generated from renewable resources)
gas (flued only)
pellet heating
woodheating (used correctly)
open fire (these burn a lot of wood for the amount of heat created and increase pollution levels dramatically.

Whether new or old, woodheaters must be operated correctly for the good of the whole community.