Abstract
The use of wood, dung and other biomass fuels can be traced back to early prehistory. While the study of prehistoric fuel use and its environmental impacts is well established, there has been little investigation of the health impacts this would have had, particularly in the Neolithic period, when people went from living in relatively small groups, to living in dense settlements. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Çatalhöyük, Turkey, is one of the earliest large ‘pre-urban’ settlements in the world. In 2017, a series of experiments were conducted to measure fine particulate (PM2.5) concentrations during typical fuel burning activities, using wood and dung fuel. The results indicate that emissions from both fuels surpassed the WHO and EU standard limits for indoor air quality, with dung fuel being the highest contributor for PM2.5 pollution inside the house, producing maximum values > 150,000 µg m−3. Maximum levels from wood burning were 36,000 µg m−3. Average values over a 2–3 h period were 13–60,000 µg m−3 for dung and 10–45,000 µg m−3 for wood. The structure of the house, lack of ventilation and design of the oven and hearth influenced the air quality inside the house. These observations have implications for understanding the relationship between health and the built environment in the past.
Highlights
Air pollution is often associated with industrialisation in the nineteenth century, but the origins of anthropogenic air pollution can be seen much earlier
The results indicate that emissions from both fuels surpassed the WHO and EU standard limits for indoor air quality, with dung fuel being the highest contributor for PM2.5 pollution inside the house, producing maximum values [ 150,000 lg m-3
The pollutant level started to increase and AQM1 and AQM2 were unable to record the readings at 7:34 pm for 3 min as the quantity exceeded the instrument’s capacities
Summary
Air pollution is often associated with industrialisation in the nineteenth century, but the origins of anthropogenic air pollution can be seen much earlier. Each level of occupation at Catalhoyuk contains multiple mudbrick buildings ranging in size from 15 to 25 m2, clustered into ‘neighbourhoods’. A typical building has a central room with an oven and hearth, and slightly elevated platforms (Fig. 1). The buildings are estimated to have been in use for around 70 years before being dismantled and rebuilt in the same location These processes of rebuilding occur multiple times over the site’s occupation (Cessford, 2005; During, 2005). AQM2 and AQM3 showed slightly elevated levels at the beginning of the measurement period This may have been the result of localised stirring of dust on the floors during the equipment set-up, both from the soft nature of the plaster finish on the building floors, and from dust tracked in from the surrounding area.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
