Working together on clean air
Is stoking fires the new smoking? According to some opponents, it is. The burning of wood in a stove or fireplace is meeting with increasing resistance and the nuisance caused by wood smoke is raising a lot of debate. The CHARRED research project focuses on the effects of wood smoke on health. Fleur Froeling and her fellow scientists from the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine are working with members of the public to research the health effects of wood smoke.
Burning wood releases harmful substances, such as particulates, benzene and carbon monoxide. This has a negative impact on air quality. When levels of wood smoke are high, people with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as the elderly and children, can experience more ill effects than others and at an earlier stage. Many people are therefore concerned about the impact of burning wood on air quality and their health.
Members of the public
Fleur Froeling and her colleagues at IRAS are investigating the impact of wood smoke on healthy air, together with around a hundred members of the public. ‘We involve these members of the public in our research from start to finish,’ says Froeling. ‘Together, we identify what questions are important to them and work out how we might answer them. By entering into a dialogue, we really conduct our research together with them.’ The collection and analysis of results, the writing of publications and even communication of the final results will all be done jointly.
130 unique questions
The team began by collecting questions from Amsterdam residents about wood smoke. This was done through meetings and newsletters, as well as the social media channels of organisations such as the Municipal Health Service (GGD) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). In total, the researchers received 130 unique questions. The most important of these were selected during public meetings. They related to health and sustainability, for example:
How does wood smoke affect the health of my airways?
What are the physical effects of breathing in wood smoke, in the short and long term?
What is the best way to burn wood?
Is there a sustainable way to burn wood?
The researchers then developed a number of research proposals on the basis of these questions. ‘We are now at the point of starting work on these projects,’ says Froeling. ‘For example, during the heating season we will examine the effects of wood smoke on the airways at four locations chosen by members of the public. The partnership with the residents of Amsterdam is a great thing. It provides us with new perspectives and gives us a good insight into what is important to the public. Hopefully, they will receive a bit of an insight into our work in return and we can all learn from each other.’
Residents’ concerns are key
CHARRED is part of the European CitieS-Health project, which focuses on citizen science. Residents of five European cities – Amsterdam, plus Barcelona in Spain, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Lucca in Italy and Kaunas in Lithuania – help design and conduct experiments to investigate how pollution in their living environment affects their health. Each city tackles a different question.
The IRAS scientists hope that their research will help create a better world. They aim to achieve this by listening to people’s questions and concerns and by exploring complex issues beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines.