Khaberni - Researchers revealed that using wood-burning stoves in homes may cause lung damage similar to the effects of cigarette smoke, even among the healthy, wealthy, and light smokers.
The research team analyzed data from the longitudinal English study on aging, which tracks the health of thousands over eight years, and measured FEV1, which is the volume of air that can be forcefully exhaled in the first second of a breath. The findings showed that a decrease in this value is associated with an increased risk of respiratory disease, disability, and premature death.
The study uncovered that users of wood stoves lose lung capacity faster than those who do not use them, despite having better health and leading a healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Laura Horsefall, the lead researcher at University College London, said: "The study's findings suggest that the fine particles produced by wood stoves harm lung tissue, causing inflammation similar to cigarette smoke. We know that burning wood emits harmful pollutants, including carcinogens."
The study confirmed that domestic solid fuel in the UK, especially wood and coal, produces a fifth of the most dangerous fine particles PM2.5, which is five times the amount of pollution produced by car exhausts. Since 2009, the annual emissions from household wood burning have risen from 3200 tons to about 6000 tons in 2023.
Previous research in poorer countries has indicated that wood smoke is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and lung cancer, but this study is the first to document a similar impact in a wealthy country.
Professor Annie Johansen, head of the expert group on Epidemiology and Environment at the European Respiratory Society, said: "We are moving towards increased use of wood stoves in homes in Europe, but these findings confirm that they pose an environmental health risk, especially for people with chronic respiratory symptoms or decreased lung function."
Experts warn that children and the elderly are most at risk, as the lungs of children are still developing, and the elderly may already have weakened breathing.
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has expressed similar concerns, noting that many wood stoves emit more pollutants than are declared. In the UK, hospital admissions due to asthma and acute respiratory problems have increased over the past decade, with pollution being a major factor.
Health experts and activists have called for strict measures, including a gradual phase-out of wood stoves in urban areas and a ban on unnecessary burning, by the 2030s, to protect public health.
The study was presented at the European Respiratory Society conference in Amsterdam.
