Wood smoke black carbon from Indigenous traditional cultural activities in a subarctic Cree community

ABSTRACT

Indoor concentrations of black carbon (BC) were measured when wood was burned for traditional cultural activities in a study in a Cree community located in subarctic Canada. The study also included an intervention using a propane-fuelled heater to mitigate in situ BC. Mass concentrations of BC were measured in a game-smoking tent for 39 days and in hunting cabins on the west coast of James Bay, Canada, for 8 days. Five-minute averaged BC mass concentration (N = 12,319) data were recorded and assessed using optimised noise-reduction averaging. Mean BC mass concentrations were lower in hunting cabins (mean = 8.25 micrograms per cubic metre (µg m⁻³)) and higher in the game-smoking tent (mean = 15.46 µg m⁻³). However, excessive BC peaks were recorded in the game-smoking tent (maximum = 3076.71 µg m⁻³) when the fire was stoked or loaded. The intervention with the propane heater in a hunting cabin yielded a 90% reduction in measured BC mass concentrations. We do not presume that exposure to BC is of concern in hunting cabins with appropriate wood-burning appliances that are well-sealed and vent outside. In game-smoking tents, we advise that persons take intermittent breaks outside of the tent for fresh air.

KEYWORDS:

• Wood
• smoke
• indoors
• black carbon
• Indigenous
• Cree
• James Bay

Authors’ contributions

RJM was responsible for the data analysis and visualization, and drafted the original manuscript as well. ENL and REP were responsible for study conception and design, and RJM, MJW and ENL were responsible for the field work. RJM, MJW, ENL, LJST and REP contributed to the interpretation of results and drafted the final manuscript. All authors provided editorial feedback and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the participants in Fort Albany First Nation for their involvement and commitment to our study and Roger Davey, who was instrumental in participant recruitment and day-to-day location logistics. We also thank Pallavi Pant and other collaborators at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This work was developed under Assistance Agreement No. R835605 awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to R.E. Peltier. The EPA has not formally reviewed it. The views expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Agency. EPA does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication. We also thank the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for additional funding support (FRN 155890 and 156396).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are retained with the corresponding author, Robert J. Moriarity. The data are not publicly available because it contains information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [155890]; Canadian Institutes of Health Research [156396]; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [R835605].