The adverse health effects of air pollution can be reduced

Traffic, wood burning, energy production and industry are the main domestic sources of air pollution. Air pollutants emitted from these sources can cause a wide range of health effects, from mild symptoms to chronic diseases and premature death. Making informed everyday choices and adopting good practices can significantly reduce both emissions and exposure.

In addition to domestic sources, air pollution also reaches Finland from beyond our borders through long-range transport, which accounts for a significant share, particularly in southern Finland.

Forest fires, as well as fires at waste facilities or industrial sites, can also worsen air quality. The effects can be local, but smoke may also spread over wide areas, particularly during prolonged fires.

How does air pollution affect health?

Air pollution is estimated to cause around 1,600–2,000 deaths in Finland each year, most of which are linked to exposure to fine particles. However, most thealth effects are less severe.

The most common health effects include irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, such as itching and stinging of the throat and eyes, a runny nose and coughing. Less common but more serious health effects include, for example, an increased risk of chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as premature death.

Those who are particularly sensitive to the health effects of air pollution include:

• children
• older people
• pregnant individuals
• people with chronic cardiovascular or respiratory diseases.

These groups may experience adverse health effects at lower concentrations than the general population. Air pollution may worsen underlying conditions and increase the need for medication or hospital care.

Lifestyle choices such as a healthy diet, avoiding smoking and getting enough physical activity, may help reduce the harmful health effects of air pollution.

How to reduce your exposure to air pollution

• Choose walking and cycling routes away from busy roads.
• If you belong to a risk group, avoid outdoor activities when air quality is poor.
• Keep windows closed when air quality is poor.
• Dry your laundry indoors during the street dust season.
• Remove any dust and sand that has been tracked or blown indoors.
• If necessary, use a well-fitting FFP2 respirator with an exhalation valve. If you have a severe chronic illness or poor general health, consult your doctor before using a respirator.
• Use effective supply air filtration and replace the filters regularly.
• If necessary, use an indoor air purifier designed to remove particles. When choosing a device, consider its clean air delivery rate, maintenance requirements and noise level.

Read more about room air purifiers (PDF 711 KB, The Finnish Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation)

How to relieve symptoms caused by air pollution

• Make sure any respiratory or cardiovascular conditions you may have are well managed and your symptoms are under control.
• Use a nasal rinse to flush dust from your nasal passages.
• Relieve eye symptoms with lubricating or saline eye drops.
• Wash your hair in the evening to reduce the amount of dust transferred from your hair to your pillowcase.

Many people are exposed to street dust

Traffic exhaust emission and street dust are major sources of exposure, particularly in cities. Although exhaust emissions are decreasing as vehicle technology develops and transport becomes more electrified, street dust continues to have a significant impact on air quality.

Fine particles from street dust are estimated to cause around 50–60 deaths in Finland each year.

There is a particularly high level of street dust in the air during spring, when roads and roadsides dry out and dust accumulated over the winter is lifted into the air by traffic and wind. High concentrations of street dust can also occur in autumn and winter on dry, snow-free stretches of road.

The timing, duration and intensity of the street dust season, as well as the nuisance associated with street dust, vary greatly from year to year.

How to reduce street dust emissions

• Avoid unnecessary car journeys.
• Choose walking, cycling and public transport whenever possible.
• Use friction tyres instead of studded tyres whenever possible.
• Change from winter to summer tyres as soon as weather conditions allow.
• Wet the sand before sweeping it away from your yard to reduce dust.
• Do not use a leaf blower to remove sand and dust.

Wood burning emissions worsen air quality in residential areas

Wood burning emissions are particularly harmful in densely populated detached house areas. Even emissions from individual houses can significantly increase air pollution concentrations in the surrounding area. Air pollution concentrations can vary greatly even over short distances.

In low-wind conditions, emissions can increase air pollution concentrations for several hours at a time. During clear, calm winter evenings and nights, wood smoke often remains close to the ground around homes, resulting in high concentrations.

Wood burning in sparsely populated areas contributes less to overall population exposure than wood burning in densely built-up residential areas, but it can still be harmful to the health of people who are exposed to the smoke.

If wood burning from a neighbouring property is causing a nuisance, you should first contact the person responsible. If this does not resolve the issue, you can contact your municipality's environmental or health protection authority.

Wood burning produces a range of harmful pollutants

Wood burning is the largest domestic source of fine particle and black carbon (soot) emissions. Burning also produces gaseous air pollutants and ultrafine particles.

Wood smoke contains fine particles that are harmful to health, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other organic compounds, metals, and gaseous pollutants. In addition, smoke contains black carbon, to which many harmful compounds can be attached. Black carbon also contributes to climate warming.

Gaseous emissions include volatile organic compounds, which have an unpleasant smell and irritate the mucous membranes, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributes to climate warming.

Poor wood burning practices can produce particle and PAH emissions that are dozens or even hundreds of times higher than those from efficient, clean burning.

Emissions from residential wood burning are estimated to cause around 200 deaths in Finland each year.

Information and tips for good wood burning: burn wood cleanly (HSY)

How to reduce exposure to wood smoke

• Choose a heating method other than wood burning as your primary source of heating.
• If you use a heat-retaining fireplace or stove as a supplementary heat source, burn dry wood with a good draught for no more than a couple of hours a day.
• Use fireplaces and stoves correctly and follow clean wood burning practices.
  Burn wood cleanly (HSY)
• Have chimneys and wood-burning appliances swept regularly.
• Use a carbon monoxide alarm. Carbon monoxide is a colourless and odourless gas that cannot be detected by human senses.
• Use effective supply air filtration indoors.
• If necessary, use a room air purifier designed to remove particles.