• A small study conducted out of Stellenbosch University has highlighted the danger of indoor fireplaces.
• The study found that particulate matter tends to be far higher than recommended concentrations in homes with a fireplace.
• While the study is small, the dangers it presents are very real and further research is encouraged.

A study conducted by a group of researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at Stellenbosch University has highlighted the danger associated with indoor fires. The study sought to identify the health impacts of fireplaces in housing.

Fires, the researchers said, release harmful particles that taint the air quality and can settle in the lungs of those in the vicinity of an indoor fireplace.

The results of the study were published in the article, Lifting the unseen smokescreen on indoor air quality due to amenity indoor fireplaces in South African homes in the Energy Research & Social Science journal.

“Our results show that the levels of harmful substances released during indoor fireplace use exceeded the recommended guidelines and standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO recommends prolonged exposure to these small particles for no more than three days in a year,” says PhD candidate Rita van der Walt from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at SU.

Using sensing devices placed near fireplaces in homes, the researchers recorded air-quality 130 times a day. The results show that while the WHO recommends a limit of 15 micrograms per cubic metre, indoor fires far exceeded this. Perhaps most concerning, however, was a case where exposure exceed 35 micrograms per cubic metre for eight days.

Worse still, the particles remained in the air long after the fireplace has been used.

The results indicated periods ranging from slightly less than an hour to more than three hours of high exposure.

During the study, the researchers shared their results with one homeowner who was seemingly so spooked by the results, they stopped using their indoor fireplace.

“As many South Africans may not know about the health risks associated with using indoor fireplaces, these results might inform households on fireplaces and indoor air quality. Hopefully, this would reduce the number of indoor fires or get people to stop making them,” the researchers said.

Now for the caveats.

The study’s sample size is very small covering just six houses. The team says that there is no real difference in how air quality is affected by closed and open fireplaces but the sample is even smaller here with just four open fireplaces and two enclosed were studied.

“This study did not consider behavioural or habitual factors that may impact resulting PM [particulate matter] concentrations. These include, but are not limited to, firewood type, amount of wood used for fire, and the duration of fire-making. Future work should investigate the potential impact of different behavioural factors impacting resulting PM levels,” the group wrote.

However, the findings here point to something and the researchers from Stellenbosch University encourage others to study how indoor fires affect air quality.

For now then, perhaps invest in a heating source that doesn’t send particulate matter into your lungs.

[Image – Ray Shrewsberry • from Pixabay]