Transcript Hazards and Effects on Respiratory Health of Backyard Burning

Hazards and Effects on
Respiratory Health of Backyard
Burning
Theodore W. Marcy, MD MPH
Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine
American Lung Association of Vermont
Outline of Discussion
• Lung function, anatomy and inhaled toxins
• Characteristics of the emissions from backyard
burning of trash
– Contents
– Quantity compared to other emissions
• Health Hazards
– In normals
– In vulnerable populations
Function of the Respiratory
System
• Gas exchange
– Eliminate CO2
– Transfer Oxygen to blood
• To accomplish this
– Gas exchange organ (lung)
– Respiratory pump to move
air in and out
Anatomy of the Lung and Alveoli
Location of Gas Exchange
Interaction of Lung with Environment
• Volume of air we breath per day = 10,000 Liters
• Surface area of lung = Squash court
• Lung defense
– Filtering by nose and upper airway
– Impact of particles at branching airways
– Particles removed by mucociliary escalator and swallowed or
coughed out
– Other foreign particles cleared by resident cells of the defense
system (macrophages)
What Particles Get to the Alveoli?
Particles of most importance are less than
10 microns in diameter (RBC is 5 microns)
PM10
Air Pollution and Health
• An increase in PM10 by 10 g/m3 associated with a
0.5% increase in death rate from all causes
• An increase in PM10 by 10 g /m3 associated with an
8-18% increase in cardiovascular causes of death
• Ban on coal sales in Dublin associated with a
– Decrease in air pollution
– 6% decrease in non-trauma death rates
– 10% decrease in cardiovascular death rates
– 16% decrease in respiratory death rates
Wood Burning
• Campfires
• Woodstoves for
home heating
• Incineration of
cleared brush and
trees
Wood Burning
Burning 20 lbs of wood puts 1 lb of pollution in the air
• 100 different chemicals
– Carbon monoxide
– Nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide
– Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
– Large amount of PM10 particulates
• Pollution from 1 home heated by wood for 1yr equals
– 400 homes heated by oil or natural gas
– 1 car driving 130,000 miles
Backyard Burning
• Used as low cost method of trash
disposal
• Trash is NOT just wood, paper and
yard waste
• Trash consists of plastics, synthetics,
other chemicals
• Low temperature burning (500)
leads to incomplete combustion
• Emissions highly concentrated and
“in your face”
Emissions from Backyard Burning
• Fine particulate matter
• Lead
• Carbon monoxide
• Arsenic
• Carbon dioxide
• Mercury
• Sulfur dioxide
• Barium
• Dioxins and Furans
• Chromium
• PAHs and PCBs
• Cadmium
Comments on Some Emissions
• Carbon monoxide
– Binds to hemoglobin, reducing oxygen delivery
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
– Contribute to ground level ozone pollution (smog)
– Aggravate respiratory and heart conditions
– Some (PAHs) are carcinogenic
• Hexachlorobenzene
– Birth defects
– Kidney and liver damage
• Benzopyrene
– Suspected cause of lung cancer
Health Consequences
• Upper airway irritation
• Neurologic symptoms (headache, fatigue)
• Acute respiratory symptoms (shortness of breath
• Asthma and chronic lung disease exacerbations
• Acute cardiac events
• Cancers (long term exposures)
• Hospitalizations
• Increased deaths
Emissions from burn barrels in
the US (lbs./year)
benzene
styrene
formaldehyde
dioxins
furans
PCB
hydrogen cyanide
arsenic
4,500,000
3,400,000
3,100,000
139
22
10,962
1,700,000
8,186
Municipal Waste Combustor
(MWC) vs Barrel Burning
2,200 F
500  F
EPA Evaluation of Emissions from
Barrel Burning: Lemieux EPA 1998
• Purpose: Risk assessment
– Qualitative identification and quantitative measure of
emissions from open burning of household refuse
– Comparison to other point and area sources
• Waste from non-recycling and avid recycling
households
– Burned in test facility
– Extractive samples analyzed
• Compared to emissions from MWC field test
Household Burning vs MWC
Household family of 4
• Non-recycling
– 4.9 kg/day
– 62% paper products
– 8% plastic resin
• Avid-recycling
– 1.5 kg/day
– 62% paperboard
– 16% plastic resin
MWC
• 182,000 kg/day
• 37,000 non-recycling
households or
• 121,000 recycling
households
Emissions per Mass of Refuse
MWC vs Open Burning
How many barrel burning homes
equals the pollution from a MWC?
Daily MWC estimated emission
Daily estimated emissions from households
=
#households that
equal a MWC
Lemieux EPA March 1998
Vulnerable Populations
• Asthma in Vermont
– 41,000 adults
– 13,000 children
• Chronic lung disease
– 7,000 with emphysema
– 26,000 with chronic bronchitis
• Children
– Absorb more toxins per weight than adults
– Second hand smoke increases respiratory tract
infections, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome
Vermont State Regulations on Open
Burning
• Allowed (if not prohibited by local ordinances)
– Campfires and outdoor barbecues
– Burning of leaves, brush, deadwood, tree cuttings
– Natural wood bonfires on festive occasions
• Illegal to burn
–
–
–
–
–
–
Paper and cardboard
Tires and other rubber products
Treated, painted, or finished wood
Tarpaper or asphalt shingles
Plastics
Garbage
Backyard Burning in Vermont
• 18,000 households
• 28 million pounds
of trash annually
The Herald of Randolph, VT 11/30/00
Opinions Regarding Burn Barrels
•
28% burn household garbage and other materials
(in burn barrel or other device)
Of those that burn household garbage
•
45% burn garbage because it is convenient
•
32% believe they are reducing waste
•
35% said that nothing would cause them to stop
this practice
•
34% (ironically) believe there is not enough
concern about the environment
Survey in Minnesota and Wisconsin
From ALA of Wisconsin
Alternatives to Backyard Burning
• Recycle
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Newspaper
Used oil
Plastic bottles
Magazines
Cans
Glass
Cardboard
Office paper
• Compost
– Yard wastes
– Vegetable Scraps
• Reuse
– Clothes
– Donate to charity
• Buy smart
– Avoid unnecessary
packing