Estimated prevalence and focus of wooden gasoline warmth sources by Decrease Tremendous Output Space (LSOA), England and Wales. A. High: Estimated prevalence of wooden burners by LSOA, England and Wales. Backside: Estimated prevalence of wooden burners by LSOA, London. Native authorities of Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, and Bromley highlighted in blue. B. High: Estimated focus of wooden burners per km2 by LSOA, England and Wales. Backside: Estimated focus of wooden burners per km2 by LSOA, London. Credit score: Laura Horsfall/ERS
Utilizing a wood-burning range at residence can result in a decline in lung perform, in keeping with analysis introduced on the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The examine was introduced by Dr. Laura Horsfall, Principal Analysis Fellow from the Institute of Well being Informatics, College Faculty London, UK.
Using strong gasoline for home heating has elevated in Europe as a result of advertising of wooden as renewable vitality and excessive fossil gasoline costs.
Within the UK, the proportion of dangerous PM2.5 air air pollution (high quality particulate matter) attributable to home strong gasoline is now 20% of the whole, in contrast with 4% for highway automobile exhaust emissions. Annual emissions, particularly from home wooden burning, nearly doubled from 3,200 metric tons in 2009 to six,000 metric tons in 2023.
Dr. Horsfall advised the Congress, “We know wood burning at home emits harmful air pollution both indoors and outdoors, including known carcinogens. Despite this, air pollution from this source has approximately doubled in the UK since 2009 as more people install and use wood stoves. However, the link with health outcomes in high-income countries is not well understood and residential areas with high emissions are hard to identify using existing air quality monitoring networks.”
Constructing on a earlier examine that mapped using strong gasoline burning stoves throughout the UK, the researchers used knowledge from the English Longitudinal Examine of Growing old (ELSA) to check the connection between self-reported strong gasoline use at residence in England and lung perform decline.
They assessed sufferers’ lung perform in keeping with a measure referred to as FEV₁, which quantifies the quantity of air an individual can forcefully exhale within the first second of a breath. Decrease FEV₁ values are related to elevated threat of respiratory issues and poorer well being outcomes, making FEV₁ a key goal marker in monitoring ailments like COPD and bronchial asthma.
Finding out well being impacts is difficult as a result of wood-burning households are usually wealthier and more healthy total.
Dr. Horsfall defined, “We discovered that folks utilizing strong gasoline had decrease charges of smoking and lung illness, which might masks the true results of strong gasoline publicity.
“Nonetheless, utilizing repeated lung perform measurements over an eight-year interval, we discovered that lung perform declined sooner amongst strong gasoline customers in comparison with non-users, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and housing components. This implies an necessary hyperlink between strong gasoline use and respiratory decline, regardless of the more healthy baseline of the uncovered group.
“Our study suggests that high levels of particulate matter from stoves damage respiratory tissues, causing inflammation in a similar way to cigarette smoke,” she added.
Dr. Horsfall and her staff now plan to analyze whether or not folks dwelling in or close to areas with a excessive focus of wooden stoves, such because the wealthier elements of London, additionally present elevated charges of respiratory points, similar to inhaler prescriptions and hospital visits for lung situations.
Professor Ane Johannessen, Head of the European Respiratory Society’s professional group on epidemiology and surroundings, based mostly on the College of Bergen, Norway, who was not concerned within the analysis, mentioned, “In Europe, we’re seeing a rising development for utilizing wood-burning stoves at residence. Analysis in different elements of the world, the place conventional wooden burning is used within the residence, has proven that that is dangerous and causes bronchial asthma, COPD and lung most cancers.
“These findings counsel that wooden burners utilized in European houses could have comparable results and ought to be thought of a possible environmental threat issue when assessing respiratory well being, particularly in sufferers with unexplained lung perform decline or persistent respiratory signs.
“Though new eco-design European wooden burners are typically thought of cleaner and safer than extra conventional wooden stoves, many European houses nonetheless make use of older wooden burners, and even the newer stoves will not be fully risk-free.
“This study underscores the need for clearer public health guidance and regulation around domestic wood burning. People should be aware that these stoves could be harming them and their families, and doctors should be asking their patients about whether they are using stoves at home.”
Extra info:
Summary no: PA5850 “The rising threat of domestic wood burning to Europe’s respiratory health: A case study using longitudinal data from England and Wales,” by Laura Horsfall et al. Introduced in session, “Air pollution, climate change and environmental impact of respiratory therapies” at 12.30–14.00 CEST on Tuesday 30 September 2025. k4.ersnet.org/prod/v2/Entrance/Pr … ?e=685&session=19289
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Indoor wooden burners linked to a decline in lung perform (2025, September 29)
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