Residential Wood Burning Emissions in British Columbia
Environment Protection Division, Ministry of Environment, British Columbia
April 1, 2004, Revised May 17, 2005*
Abstract
The current British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (WLAP) Service Plan and the BC Lung Association Health and Air Quality 2002 – Phase 1 report both identify particulate matter as the air emission of most concern in British Columbia from a human health perspective. One of the largest cumulative sources of particulate matter in BC is believed to be residential wood burning. To better estimate the size of this source, WLAP commissioned a telephone survey in June 2003 to study wood burning habits of British Columbia residents.
Using disproportionate sampling methodology, a total of 2100 wood burning appliance users were interviewed regarding their wood burning habits. The method used results in a margin of error for the survey results of less than 10% at the 95% confidence interval. Combining the results of this survey with results from previous surveys of the Okanagan regions and the Lower Fraser Valley gives emission quantities for chemical species of concern from residential wood burning in British Columbia.