MEDIA RELEASE
Ruapehu District Council

Enjoy the Heat Not the Smoke

For many Taumarunui families keeping warm over winter means lighting a fire which in previous years has led to the township’s air quality dipping below national clean air standards.

For the past four years Horizons Regional Council has been measuring the level of air pollution in Taumarunui over winter as part of assessing the impact of fires on air quality.

Ruapehu District Council (RDC) Policy Planner, Kate Dahm, said that the measurements look at the level of particulate matter that is less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) in the air.

“In Taumarunui most PM10 comes from the burning of fuels such as wood and coal for home heating and due to their size are readily absorbed into the lungs,” she said.

“The issue of PM10 pollution levels in Taumarunui are especially relevant as Taumarunui is located in an ‘air shed’ which traps the pollution under an ‘inversion layer’.”

Ms Dahm noted that the people most at risk from breathing in PM10 are those with existing respiratory conditions, such as asthma or bronchitis, babies and young children, diabetics and the elderly.

“In order to minimise the level of PM10 in the air it is important that people using fires minimise the amount of smoke that they produce,” she said.

Ms Dahm said that to get the best value from their firewood and cut down on the amount of smoke their fire produces people should ensure that their fire burns efficiently.

“A wood burner or open fire that isn’t being used properly will produce excessive smoke, waste energy, create air pollution and are also expensive to run as they are inefficient.”

“The key tip for ensuring an efficient fire and minimising smoke is to only burn dry firewood that has been split properly.”

“The quality of your firewood is a major factor in how your wood burner runs,” she said.

“Green or wet wood is a major creator of smoke that as well as creating pollution also clogs your chimney.”

“If the glass on the front of your wood burner is coated in ‘gunk’ it means you are not burning your fire hot enough.”

Ms Dahm added that banking up a fire with wood and damping it down overnight does not add significant warmth but greatly increases air pollution.

“The best option is to keep a supply of kindling and dry wood handy to re-start the burner in the morning.”

ENDS

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