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

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Moriarity, Robert J., Wilton, Meaghan J., Liberda, Eric N., Tsuji, Leonard J.S., Peltier, Richard E.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2020
• Subjects: Original Research Article; Canada; Circumpolar Health; Subarctic; James Bay
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7480623/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32835644; https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2020.1811517

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.