Vast amounts of harmful chemicals that severely endanger our health are released into the air during the illegal burning of solid waste at households in several EU member countries. These dangers have been confirmed by a study published recently in the scientific journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, which describes the results of a cutting-edge European research led by the University of Pannonia, Hungary.

Residential waste burning is strictly banned in the European Union, therefore, no targeted research has ever been conducted on the emission of harmful substances released into the air upon burning different types of solid wastes in home stoves although such illegal burning is widespread in most Central and Eastern European countries. Recently, such a study has been carried out for the first time in the world in a European project headed by Hungarian scientists. They burned in a cast iron stove solid wastes that are often thrown into the fire by the citizens, such as PET bottles, tires, packaging materials, PVC floor pieces, mixed combination of textiles and chipboard. During their combustion, the researchers measured how much and how toxic air pollutants enter the air compared to the emissions of burning dry firewood under the same conditions.

Burning wood is also releases significant amounts of harmful substances into the air. It has been demonstrated that when solid wastes are burned in household stoves, significantly higher quantity of respirable particulate matter (PM10) and even more toxic chemicals are released into the air than by burning dry firewood.

It has been found that the burning of plastic wastes (such as PET bottles, polyfoam or clothing) releases up to 700 times (!) more toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into the air compared to the otherwise also significant emissions from wood burning. PAHs are ubiquitous combustion products and pose significant hazard for human health as they are carcinogenic and may also damage DNS. Burning of wood-based solid waste (like glossy paper, chipboard, fiberboard, window frames, furniture), which many people do consider as a fuel and not as waste, should also be strictly avoided, as the released air pollutants are still about 30 (!) times more carcinogenic than in the case of burning dry firewood.

András Gelencsér, an academician heading the Air Chemistry Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at the University of Pannonia and the international research consortium told to the Hungarian environmental NGO Clean Air Action Group (CAAG) that from these shocking results it is obvious that substantive and effective measures must be taken immediately to reduce the health hazards posed by the extensive and illegal activity of solid waste burning in households.

The Environmental Advisory Office of CAAG receives thousands of complaints each year from residents suffering from toxic fumes from residential waste burning in their neighbourhoods. CAAG always try to help them with advice, but that is far from enough. This research also confirmed the importance of fighting against illegal waste burning in households. This requires raising public awareness, helping people living in energy poverty, ensuring that household waste and rubbish is disposed of in an environmentally-sound way, and last but not least, strengthening the authorities dealing with offenders.

CAAG prepared a summary of the study.

Judit Szegő
environmental scientist
CAAG’s project manager