Tribal Healthy Homes Northwest Community Education Slide Series “WOOD SMOKE AND THE HEALTH OF OUR...

Tribal Healthy Homes NorthwestCommunity Education Slide Series

“WOOD SMOKE AND THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY”

Tribal Healthy Homes Northwest – Community Education Slide Series

Topics covered in these slides:

WOODSMOKE AND OUR A IR : W H AT ’ S I N T H E W O O D S M O K E W E B R E AT H E

WOODSMOKE IN OUR LUNGS : H O W O U R LU N G S W O R K A S A G AT E WAY

WOODSMOKE IN OUR SYSTEM: W H AT H A P P E N S O N C E W O O D S M O K E E N T E R S O U R S Y S T E M

WOODSMOKE SOLUT IONS : P RAC T I C A L S O LU T I O N S T O P R O T E C T O U R C O M M U N I T Y



1. WOODSMOKE AND OUR AIR: WHAT’S IN THE WOODSMOKE THAT WE BREATHE…

2. W O O D S M O K E I N O U R LU N G S : H O W O U R LU N G S W O R K A S A G AT E WAY T O A I R P O L LU T I O N

3. W O O D S M O K E I N O U R S Y S T E M : W H AT H A P P E N S T O O U R H E A LT H O N C E W O O D S M O K E E N T E R S O U R S Y S T E M

4. W O O D S M O K E S O LU T I O N S : P R O T E C T I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y


When we burn wood, the process is called “combustion”.

If the fire isn’t hot enough, combustion “fails”, meaning unburnt material turns into fine ash, smoke and hazardous gases.

Woodsmoke and Our Air…


This ash and smoke contains hundreds of hazardous substances.

Some you may recognize include….


• Carbon Monoxide• Benzene• Arsenic• Methane• Formaldehyde


Woodsmoke is considered more hazardous than smoking, as it has many of the same cancer-causing chemicals, but at higher levels…


An EPA study found that breathing woodsmoke during a high pollution day is the same as smoking 4 to 16 cigarettes.



Instruments that measure air quality show these particles show that these chemicals linger, by the thousands, in the air inside and the outside our homes…

Older woodstoves give off over 350 grams of fine particles an hour….that’s about 20 pounds of pollution a day….

During that same day, we breathe in about 2,880 gallons of air….



These chemicals attach to fine particles in woodsmoke… too fine for our body to use its normal defenses, like coughing or sneezing, to expel them…

Woodsmoke particles are so small they are invisible to the human eye….



1. WOODS M OK E A ND OU R A I R: WH AT ’ S I N T H E A I R WE BR E AT H E WH E N WOOD I S B UR N I NG

2. WOODSMOKE IN OUR LUNGS: HOW OUR LUNGS WORK AS A GATEWAY

3. WOODS M OK E I N OU R S Y S T E M : WH AT H A P P E NS T O OU R H E A LT H ONC E WOODS M OK E E NT E R S OU R BLOODST RE A M

4. WOODS M OK E SOLU T I ONS : P R OT E C T I NG OU R C OM M UNI T Y


Our Lungs as a Gateway…

Our lungs are a network of tubes and air sacs that take oxygen out of the air we breathe and carry it to the cells in our bodies.


This network (our “Respiratory System”) is enormous… almost 1500 miles of airways.

Stretched out, they would reach from Seattle to Anchorage.



Our Lungs a Gateway…

At the end of the tubes, we have thousands of tiny air sacs….

If you laid them out flat, they would cover an entire tennis court, or about 750 square feet.



The air sacs are very thin.

This pictures shows how these sacs look – and act like – a “gateway”…


Through this gateway, oxygen passes into our system… along with any other chemicals present in the air…


Woodsmoke is present in our bloodstream within 60 seconds of inhaling it…

Minutes later, carbon monoxide can be detected in our blood and benzene is in our exhaled breathe.



1. W O O D S M O K E A N D O U R A I R: W H AT ’ S I N T H E A I R W E B R E AT H E W H E N W O O D I S B U R N I N G

2. W O O D S M O K E I N O U R LU N G S : H O W O U R LU N G S W O R K A S A G AT E WAY

3. WOODSMOKE IN OUR SYSTEM: WHAT HAPPENS ONCE WOODSMOKE ENTERS OUR BLOODSTREAM

4. W O O D S M O K E S O LU T I O N S : P R O T E C T I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y


Once in our bloodstream, woodsmoke travels through and affects different parts of our body…

Kleinmen et al, 2004

Woodsmoke in Our System…


For example, our blood pressure and heart rate increase when exposed to woodsmoke…which can cause premature heart attack and stroke.

Kleinmen et al, 2004



Our DNA is injured by the chemicals in woodsmoke particles…

Woodsmoke in Our System… The white area shows where

cancer-causing woodsmoke chemicals altered and damaged the DNA in lung cells.


Compared to other pollution sources, woodsmoke contains very high levels of DNA-damaging free radicals.

Forchhammer et al, 2012

Tobacco Smoke

Polluted Air

Wood Smoke



Finally, our immune systems are hurt by woodsmoke…

The more woodsmoke we breathe, the harder it can be for our bodies to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses.

Many emergency room and hospital visits happen because of lung infections – infections thought to be made worse by woodsmoke exposure, including:

Pneumonia Bronchitis Respiratory Flu (RSV)


Dietert et al, 2002



1. W O O D S M O K E A N D O U R A I R: W H AT ’ S I N T H E A I R W E B R E AT H E W H E N W O O D I S B U R N I N G

2. W O O D S M O K E I N O U R LU N G S : H O W O U R LU N G S W O R K A S A G AT E WAY T O A I R P O L LU T I O N

3. W O O D S M O K E I N O U R S Y S T E M : W H AT H A P P E N S T O O U R H E A LT H O N C E W O O D S M O K E E N T E R S O U R B LO O D S T R E A M

4. WOODSMOKE: SOLUTIONS TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY


Why do we need a “solutions” approach to protect our community right now?

Because wood heat is practical and affordable, meaning woodstoves will continue to be used in many of our homes.

Because converting our homes to cleaner heat sources is expensive and will take many years.

Because expensive oil and electric rates mean our families will rely even more on wood heat this winter.

Woodsmoke Solutions…


What solutions could we consider as a community that is ready to take action?

“Best Practices” tribes and communities have taken to protect their families include…

Drying the Fuel Maintaining the Woodstoves Ventilating the Homes Educating our Residents

Woodsmoke Solutions…


Some approaches to DRY FUEL…

1) Buy moisture meters – use them to show residents how much moisture is in their wood

2) Create a wood “banking” program where residents can trade their wet wood for dry, seasoned wood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roK9D_9GBL4


Some approaches to MAINTAINING WOODSTOVES…

1) Change-out older stoves with EPA certified models that burn hotter and cleaner

2) Start a yearly woodstove maintenance and inspection program with your tribal housing authority


Some approaches to VENTILATION…

1) Work with your housing authority to install high-efficiency fans

2) Work with residents to ensure they don’t block or close vents

3) Install “passive ventilation” in homes


Some approaches to EDUCATION…

1) Hold a Woodstove Education Community Fair

2) Play “Woodstove” operation videos on your local public access channel or your website

3) Hand out or mail “BurnWise” flyers and materials.


Gillian Mittelstaedt THHNW Program Director

Email: [email protected]: (206)512-3293

Website: www.thhnw.org

For information about Tribal Healthy Homes Northwest and the outreach,

advocacy and training we provide….

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thhnw.org/

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