How a Dirty Fireplace Can Affect Your Health?

Besides aesthetic appeal, there's one important reason to keep your fireplace in the best condition once cold weather hits. Operating a dirty fireplace will make it burn inefficiently, and it could also increase the risk of a house fire.

Keep Your Chimney Clean to Avoid a Respiratory Infection

But more importantly, the cleanliness of your fireplace concerns you and your family's health. If your fireplace is left neglected in and out of season, it could invite small animals or birds to build nests. Small birds like swifts that build nests in chimneys can easily spread disease through their droppings to cause a severe respiratory infection from the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum.

The disease histoplasmosis can be caused by a large amount of bird droppings to lead to a lung infection after microscopic airborne spores have been inhaled. Many people will inhale the spores without getting sick, but when histoplasmosis is contracted, it will present symptoms similar to pneumonia.

The condition can become quite serious if left untreated. Histoplasmosis will initially affect the lungs but can easily spread to other organs in the body. Signs of the condition include a chronic cough, fever, sweats, chills, chest pain, and weight loss.

The simple solution? Cleaning a chimney regularly will help to avoid any bird infestations that could unknowingly cause health issues in family members.

How to Prevent Creosote Buildup

On top of the risk of birds roosting in a neglected chimney is the buildup of the harmful substance creosote, released as a byproduct of burning wood in a fireplace. The unburned gases released by wood will coat the walls of a fireplace and create a tar-like glaze on the fireplace lining.

This unpleasant residue is made up of creosote, which is normally harmless when released in small amounts. But families that are overexposed to creosote could experience symptoms like an upset stomach and burning in the eyes and mouth. If creosote is ingested in any circumstance, it could damage the kidneys and liver.

The EPA also warns that creosote can become carcinogenic for people who are exposed to the substance for a long period of time.

For this reason, it's more important than ever before to have your fireplace cleaned regularly. Creosote can damage health and can also contribute to house fires since it is a flammable substance that is known to build up in a chimney. Once heat from a fire reaches creosote coating a chimney lining, the creosote can ignite and cause a serious fire hazard.

To deal with these potential chimney health hazards, there are two solutions:

Hire a professional to clean your fireplace on a yearly basis.

Invest in an alternate fireplace that burns clean without harmful emissions.

If you're sick of dealing with your fireplace year in and year out, you can turn to alternative fireplace solutions, like a gel fuel fireplace that burns cleanly and attractively in any room of a home. Many homeowners appreciate that gel fireplaces are user-friendly and inexpensive; even better, they won't leave your family at risk for a serious infection!

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