Outdated and poorly used pellet stoves with non-certified products, obtained with too much sawdust and chemicals, can also release emissions at home that irritate the mucous membranes and damage the respiratory tract, especially in the most vulnerable people such as the elderly, children and allergy sufferers. Risks for respiratory health also from restrictive gas consumption measures: the reduction of the maximum temperature and duration of heating in the home and in public places can lead to keeping the windows closed, favoring the concentrations of mites and other allergens that can damage the epithelium of the upper respiratory tract, making them more susceptible to viruses and bacteria. Also not to be underestimated is the frequent and massive use of candles during the holidays: they can release irritating fumes into the air in the home, particularly harmful for children and for those suffering from asthma and allergies.
With the arrival of winter and bills, saving against the energy crisis can cost dearly to respiratory health, if incorrect saving strategies are used which can increase the risk of developing or aggravating respiratory problems, especially in the elderly and children who spend most of their time at home. And right now that the energy crisis and the crackdown on domestic heating are shifting attention to alternative heat sources, the importance of the damage that indoor pollution can cause to our respiratory tracts must be underlined. From old and poorly used pellet stoves with non-certified products, often purchased at low prices on the Internet, to the poor ventilation of the rooms due to the restrictive measures against gas consumption, the experts of the Italian Society of Allergology, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (SIAAIC), gathered for the national congress.
Pellet stoves, waste products from wood processing, are among the most popular methods for heating homes as an alternative to gas. However, the explosion in the selling costs of stoves, +28% compared to 2021 and in the price of pellets, which went from 3.50 euros in January to the current 13.50, could push many Italians to inappropriate use, which can become a dangerous source of fine dust even at home. “If the stoves are very old and uncertified waste products, pellet fumes are among the worst pollutants in circulation – says Gianenrico Senna, SIAAIC president and professor of respiratory diseases at the University of Verona – Pellet stoves, in fact, are a source of combustion that alone contributes to the emission of half of the fine particles deriving from the domestic combustion of woody biomass . The smaller the particles, the deeper they can penetrate the respiratory tract. Self fine dust, microscopic particles with a diameter of 7 micrometers can reach the oral, nasal and larynx cavities, particles with a diameter of 1.1 micrometers can reach and even damage the pulmonary alveoli. But pellet stoves, if they are very old systems, can also release harmful emissions at home. In particular, in order not to irritate the mucous membranes and damage the respiratory tract, it is necessary to use plants that are not too dated and to avoid non-certified waste products, above all cylinders in upper pellet to the 7-8 millimeters obtained with too much sawdust and also with too many additives and chemicals”.
Risks for respiratory health can also derive from the possible consequences of the provisions contained in the new law on the national plan for the containment of gas consumption, which provide for the reduction of one degree, from 20°C to 19°C, of the maximum temperature to be reached with the heating at home and in public places and also the reduction of one hour a day of the time allowed with the heating on. “Reducing the maximum temperature and duration of heating in the home and in public places can in fact induce people to avoid or reduce the opening of the windows – comments Giorgio Walter Canonica, member of the scientific committee of the SIAAIC congress and director of the Center for Personalized Medicine : Asthma and Allergology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano (MI) – Not adequately ventilating the rooms favors the concentration of acari and other allergens that can damage the epithelium of the upper respiratory tract, irritating the mucous membranes and making them more susceptible to viruses and bacteria”.
Also not to be underestimated is the frequent use of candles: they can release irritating fumes into the air that are particularly harmful for children, for those suffering from asthma and allergies, “Even the candle smoke it is not without risks for our respiratory tract – underlines Senna – In fact, a very recent study published in the journal Indoor Air by experts from the University of Lund in Sweden, shows that the burning of candles – reports the expert – releases emissions into the air in the home of smoke, some of which are worrying for respiratory health”. Swedish experts studied particle and gas emissions from burning five types of candles with different wax and wick compositions and found an increase in respiratory problems associated with the use of candles at home.
“The deposition on the respiratory tract of emissions from poorly used pellet stoves, from the massive use of candles to the poor ventilation of homes, as a consequence of the restrictive measures on gas consumption, can particularly weigh on respiratory health. It is therefore necessary to pay more attention to energy consumption but not to the detriment of one’s well-being. If the habits of Italians change to cope with the energy crisis, unknowingly exposing them to other sources of indoor pollution, the costs of the National Health Service for allergic and respiratory diseases could also rise due to the increase in diseases affecting the airways ” , conclude Senna and Canonica.