Research finds highest levels of cancer-related PAH pollutants in cities that have widespread wood heating
Children’s exposure to home wood-burning could be as significant as exposure to traffic exhaust, suggests new research across six European towns and cities.
Scientists measured the air in buildings where children spend much of their time; in schools, sports centres and homes. Specifically, they looked at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a family of pollutants that are given off when fuels are burned.
Dr Barend van Drooge, from Barcelona’s Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IEAWR) and senior author of the study, said: “Some of these compounds are related to cancers after prolonged exposures, as recognised by the International Agency for Cancer Research, and evidence exists that they delay cognitive development.”
Measurements were made in and around Athens, Barcelona, Colchester, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Lisbon.
Van Drooge continued: “Urban areas with wood-burning, such as Colchester and Athens, had the highest PAHs levels. Barcelona and Lisbon, where wood-burning is not practised, had the lowest levels.”
In Colchester and Athens, PAH exposure was greater than the World Health Organization guidelines.
Maria Antonia Aretaki, of the IEAWR in Barcelona and first author of the study, said: “Understanding the pollutants in children’s everyday surroundings is an important step towards protecting their health.
