Wood burners linked to 2,500 deaths a year in the UK, council-backed study claims

Wood stoves and open fires are linked to 2,500 deaths a year in Britain and banning them could save the NHS £54 million a year, a study found today.

Non-essential burning of wood and coal at home is one of the biggest sources of toxic fine particulate air pollution in England, a council-backed report has found.

Researchers have warned that heart and lung disease may occur as a result of fine particulate matter released during combustion ‘penetrating deep into the lungs and blood circulation’.

They also linked air pollution from home combustion to an average of more than 3,700 cases of diabetes and nearly 1,500 cases of asthma each year in the country.

But the Stove Industry Association backs modern stoves as an ‘efficient, renewable heating option’ that supports the UK’s domestic fuel supply chain, providing ‘significant energy security and resilience’, particularly for off-grid homes.

The report was commissioned by climate charity Global Action Plan and Hertfordshire County Council and produced by UK environmental consultancy Ricardo.

It was revealed that 92 per cent of people who burn wood in the UK have another method of heating their homes; however, the use of wood stoves has been increasing in the last three years.

These are especially popular in urban areas outside major cities; many people here use them due to lifestyle; research suggests this ‘inadvertently exposes themselves, their neighbors and their communities to toxic air’.

Stopping ‘non-essential burning’ in the UK would save the NHS more than £54 million in healthcare costs and avoid £164 million in wider productivity costs to the UK economy each year, researchers said.

They also argued that if someone’s home is connected to the energy grid, it is normally more expensive to heat it using a wood stove or open fire rather than central heating.

Some urban areas now have restrictions on what can be burned and how it can be burned once ‘Smoke Control Areas’ have been designated; But the researchers said this was not enough to ‘tackle the health burden of air pollution from domestic combustion’.

They suggested that the implementation of Smoke Control Areas across all urban areas of the UK was estimated to contribute to preventing just 321 deaths each year.

Larissa Lockwood, Director of Policy and Campaigns at Global Action Plan, said: ‘We all need to stay warm this winter and we must also consider the health impacts of our heating choices.

‘An open fire or wood stove is the most polluting way to heat a home; Air pollution from wood stoves is shortening lives, putting people in hospital and contributing to serious health problems for people across the UK.

‘It’s an inconvenient truth, but the health burden of wood burning on the British public is too great to ignore. Current measures to reduce wood burning emissions do not solve the current combustion problem.’

He called on the government to help people access cleaner, greener and more affordable heating, including by properly insulating homes.

Ms Lockwood also called for greater powers for councils to tackle air pollution and for ‘clear guidance to the public on the health risks of burning wood and other solid fuels in our homes’.

Experts believe that burning wood in homes in the UK is one of the biggest sources of a type of air pollution known as PM2.5, tiny particles that penetrate deep into the lungs.

Ricardo’s technical manager for air quality, Guy Hitchcock, said: ‘The burning of solid fuels such as wood, coal and other materials has a significant impact not only on health individuals in the homes where it occurs, but also on the wider community.

‘Reducing the use of this type of heating will not only improve health and life outcomes, but will also save the NHS £54 million a year and reduce pressure on resources.

‘In our research we found that policies can influence the use of these heating methods, but public awareness and the actions of individual households also need to have an impact.’

Experts believe that burning wood in homes in the UK is one of the biggest sources of a type of air pollution known as PM2.5, tiny particles that penetrate deep into the lungs.

Clinical academic respiratory pediatrician in East London, Dr. Abi Whitehouse said: ‘As the weather gets colder, many families are turning to wood stoves as a heating option.

‘But this should not be the default choice; The smoke and fine particles emitted can worsen asthma symptoms, trigger attacks, and contribute to long-term breathing problems.

‘For children with asthma, even small increases in indoor air pollution can mean more frequent exacerbations, hospitalizations and absences from school; These consequences are completely avoidable with cleaner heating options.

‘It’s not just our own homes that will be affected, air will also enter our neighbours’ homes.’

Matthew Clarke, Hertfordshire County Council’s air quality program manager, said: ‘This evidence supports the use of existing Smoke Control Area legislation to create better health outcomes. However, new data shows that significant effects will continue.

Air fresheners and wood burners are contributing to air pollution, England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty has said in 2023, despite many people believing the opposite is true.

‘Therefore, it is important for us to inform our communities about the health impacts of burning wood at home so that we can make decisions about home heating that take into account all relevant information.’

This follows a separate study last month from University College London, which found that burning wood indoors can cause damage similar to cigarette smoke and linked the growing popularity of burning wood at home to lung damage.

A government spokesman told the Daily Mail today: ‘Air pollution is a public health issue. As outlined in the NHS ten year plan We are committed to reducing emissions from domestic combustion to protect public health and local communities.

‘Regarding wider air quality issues, we have provided £575 million to support Local Authorities since 2018 and are working with them to reduce emissions to reduce everyone’s exposure to air pollution.’

Air fresheners and wood burners are contributing to air pollution, England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty has said in 2023, despite many people believing the opposite is true.

He added that there would be ‘no problem’ telling someone with an asthmatic child not to use an air freshener, and said people using wood stoves should only use it ‘when it’s really important to them for aesthetic reasons’ and not as the main way of heating their home.

The Daily Mail contacted the Stove Industry Alliance for comment.

The website says: ‘Precision-engineered modern stoves are a far cry from the smoky open fires of the past. ‘They provide an efficient, renewable heating option that supports the UK’s domestic fuel supply chain and provides significant energy security and resilience, particularly in off-grid and rural homes.’