Dangers of open fire cooking

[hobo]

An estimated three billion people breathe in poisonous smoke from open-fire cooking, killing more than four million every year. In Malawi, a research team is conducting the largest-ever study on children into the effects of indoor smoke.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30448559

[nickdutch]

Great reason to use rocket stoves and one gallon can based wood gas stoves as the heat will burn up a lot of the particulates and carbon monoxide.

[tigs]

i would never cook on an open fire indoors!

[poppypiesdad]

i would never cook on an open fire indoors!

Just now you wouldn't, come an event ....... Who can tell !

[Wulfshead]

I'll have to find out if a friend of mine is right or not but I was warned against bringing home/ using construction site 'pine' off-cuts to burn full stop.
It seems my friend told me that the preservative used in construction pine is one that contains an amount of cyanide.
If I want wood I'd go with Ash as it is said to be the best for burning and heat.

Wulfshead

[prepperG]

Hi plastics, wool and cotton give off hydrogen cyanide and can kill in as little as 2min-1hr it depends on concentration. Wool and cotton give the gas off even if just heated and not burnt, so called carpet hugger death. I have treated a number of patients with this poisoning including one that was using a BBQ in doors. Carbon monoxide is a bit different it is produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.

[grenfell]

I'll have to find out if a friend of mine is right or not but I was warned against bringing home/ using construction site 'pine' off-cuts to burn full stop.
It seems my friend told me that the preservative used in construction pine is one that contains an amount of cyanide.
If I want wood I'd go with Ash as it is said to be the best for burning and heat.

Wulfshead

I would assume that the off cuts you were warned against burning are most likely to be treated timbers such as tanalised , protomised and vac vac . From what I've read domestic fires , including wood burners , don't burn hot enough to stop the formation of dioxins . Something like 800* c is needed so that in reality means a furnace with forced air . Not sure about the cyanide but certainly some older treatments were a copper arsenate compound.
It's not just building site off cuts to watch , a couple of years ago on a re-enactment we were supplied with a load of pallets for firewood. Soon after lighting we started to notice the acrid smoke coming from the fire. Thankfully we've never had that experience again and now joke about English heritage safety wood , so wet it just doesn't burn

[ForgeCorvus]

....Thankfully we've never had that experience again and now joke about English heritage safety wood , so wet it just doesn't burn

Sounds like the firewood that was supplied at a Larp event I was at, mostly damp willow.... I'll swear that it sucked heat out of the area in order to burn

[grenfell]

Probably down to organisers sourcing the cheapest wood available. We've taken to taking our own with us and bagging up the supplied stuff to take home to air dry for as long as possible. At least most still supply firewood , we have done events where none is supplied at all.

[preparedsurrey]

I'll have to find out if a friend of mine is right or not but I was warned against bringing home/ using construction site 'pine' off-cuts to burn full stop.
It seems my friend told me that the preservative used in construction pine is one that contains an amount of cyanide.
If I want wood I'd go with Ash as it is said to be the best for burning and heat.

Wulfshead

I was told that about the tanalising when I started as a chippy too, its never stopped me burning it though. A lot of sites would have a bonfire going anyway in days gone by to get rid of the waste timber before H&S went daft