Reducing Exposure to Combustion Products in Homes

Take special precautions when operating fuel-burning unvented space heaters.

Consider potential effects of indoor air pollution if you use an unvented kerosene or gas space heater. Follow the manufacturer’s directions, especially instructions on the proper fuel and keeping the heater properly adjusted. A persistent yellow-tipped flame is generally an indicator or maladjustment and increased pollutant emissions. While a space heater is in use, open a door from the room where the heater is located to the rest of the house. Open a window slightly. Your best option is simply not to use an unvented kerosene or gas space heater.

Install and use exhaust fans over gas cooking stoves and ranges and keep the burners properly adjusted.

Using a stove good with a fan vented to the outdoors greatly reduces exposure to pollutants during cooking. Improper adjustment, often indicated by a persistent yellow-tipped flame, caused increased pollutant emissions. Ask your gas company to adjust the burner so that the flame tip is blue. If you purchase a new stove or range, consider buying one with pilotless ignition because it does not have a pilot light that burns continuously. Never use a gas stove to heat your home. Always make certain the flue in your gas fireplace is open when the fireplace is in use.

Keep woodstove emissions to a minimum. Choose properly sized new stoves that are certified as meeting EPA emission standards.

Make certain that doors in old woodstoves are tight-fitting. Use aged or cured (dried) wood only. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for starting, stoking, and putting out the fire in woodstoves. Chemicals are used to pressure-treat wood. Such wood should never be burned indoors. Some old gaskets in woodstove doors contain asbestos. When replacing old gaskets refer to the instructions in the EPA booklet, Asbestos in Your Home, to avoid creating an asbestos problem. New gaskets are made of fiberglass.

Have central air handling systems, including furnaces, flues, and chimneys, inspected annually and promptly repair cracks or damaged parts.

Blocked, leaking, or damaged chimneys or flues release harmful combustion gases and particles and even fatal concentrations of carbon monoxide. Strictly follow all service and maintenance procedures recommended by the manufacturer, including those that tell you how frequently to change the filter. If manufacturer’s instructions are not readily available, change filters once every month or two during periods of use. Proper maintenance is important even for new furnaces because they can also corrode and leak combustion gases, including carbon monoxide.

Article from: How to Survive a Toxic Planet, by Dr Steve Nugent

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