The pungent smell of burning rubber permeates the air, mixed in with the smell of coal where rows of corrugated iron homes huddle together in the informal settlement of Winnie Mandela in Tembisa on the East Rand. 

The air thickens with plumes of smoke rising from makeshift fireplaces. A group of six teenagers sit around a fire made from a burning tyre, their loud laughs taking centre stage. 

The fire is ignited by stuffing the tyre with a mixture of plastic and paper, and the striking of a match. Discarded tyres are easily sourced.

“Everything is easy to find in this township, we get these tyres from the scrapyards, sometimes from kids that are playing with them in the streets,” says one of the young men.

They are unaware that the fire is a perfect recipe for fine particulate matter that will penetrate deeply into their developing lungs and respiratory systems. The toxic chemicals released are cancer-causing and hormone-disrupting. 

“Electric heaters are useless, because they waste electricity. We burn tyres to keep our bodies warm, because it is very cold at home,” says another one of the boys. 

They usually sit around the fire for three to four hours before heading back to their homes. 

Indoor fire use 

In a nearby home, the Mkhize family is keeping warm while watching their favourite tv show by burning an mbawula, a makeshift coal stove made out of a large tin with holes in the side. 

Sipho Mkhize (35) tells Health-e News, “With or without loadshedding, we always use imbawula because we are trying to save electricity. Electricity is very expensive in this country, we can’t afford to waste it on electric heaters.” 

The use of imbawula is commonplace across the country, both indoors and outdoors. Many poorer families rely on alternative and complementary sources for cooking and keeping their homes warm on cold days because of the high cost of electricity, loadshedding or a general lack of electricity. These traditional heating solutions are a mainstay among South African households, but it comes with dire health risks.

Goitsimang Mokoena, an independent environmental health practitioner warns about the exposure to braziers and burning of car tyres on human health. 

“Braziers contain coal which produce a variety of pollutants such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide that can adversely affect respiratory health, especially when used indoors where air circulation is limited.” 

She says outdoor burning of car tyres is also harmful to human health as the smoke it releases contains products like carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, benzene, and acetone which are harmful when inhaled by people. 

“Exposure to these pollutants can trigger or exacerbate respiratory conditions, such as asthma and bronchitis, and pose grave risks, especially to vulnerable populations.” 

According to Mokoena, vulnerable populations are people who are already living with respiratory challenges, chronic illnesses, children and old people, as they are more susceptible to the harmful effects of indoor pollutants.

Impact of indoor fireplaces 

The burning of wood to keep warm is a practice that extends across various income groups, but is one with adverse health effects, says Rita van der Walt, a PhD student at Stellenbosch University.

Van der Walt  and other researchers from the Faculty of Engineering carried out a study to unpack the health risks associated with indoor fireplaces. 

“Our results show that the levels of harmful substances released during indoor fireplace use exceeded the recommended guidelines and standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO recommends prolonged exposure to these small particles for no more than three days in a year,” she says.

The study measured  indoor air quality by looking at how much  particulate matter was released into the air when people made fires in their homes. Particulate matter are  not visible to the naked eye and are small enough to be inhaled. The study was carried out in seven affluent homes in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Measurements were taken 130 times daily for eleven minutes  over a period of five colder months.

The researchers found that the particulate matter exceeded the WHO’s recommended limit of 15 micrograms per cubic meter within a 24-hour average concentration period.

The study shows that indoor fireplaces release harmful particles into the air which cause adverse health issues when inhaled. These particles can enter the bloodstream and can aggravate pre-existing conditions such as asthma and settle in the lungs.

“Prolonged exposure (months to years) to finer substances has been associated with early deaths, particularly among individuals with chronic heart or lung conditions, and stunted lung function growth in children,” Van der Walt explains. 

Van der Walt and her team shared their findings with one of the participating households. Once the participants saw the impact of the indoor fireplace on air quality, they stopped using it. 

Unfortunately, low-income families who use indoor fires to make food cannot simply stop. Addressing the health impacts of indoor fire in these communities requires a systemic approach that includes the implementation of policies to address issues such as the cost and reliability of electricity. – Health-e News