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Burning wood and coal in homes contributes about 2,500 deaths A report in one year has found.
open fire and wood burning stove Are one of the biggest sources of small pollution particles. it microscopic particles (PM2.5) can penetrate deeply lungs and bloodstream and Every organ is affected In the body.
In the UK, people spend around 80 to 90 per cent of their time indoors and the World Health Organization (WHO) has linked 154,000 deaths in Europe to indoors. air pollution In 2019.
According to the report, toxic air pollution has also been linked to 3,700 cases of diabetes and 1,500 cases of asthma.
But analysis from leading environmental consultancy Ricardo has revealed that preventing unnecessary indoor burning could save the NHS more than £54m a year.
“Home burning releases microscopic pollution particles that can be absorbed through the lungs and bloodstream, causing or exacerbating other health problems, including asthma, lung cancer, diabetes and stroke,” said Guy Hitchcock, Air Quality Technical Director.
“This directly impacts the individuals living in the homes where burning occurs, but also neighbors and communities. From an economic perspective, these health issues cost the NHS millions each year and take up significant resources. Not only will reducing home burning improve public health, it will also reduce the economic losses from time-off work.”
The researchers analyzed the impact of expanding and enforcing existing smoke control zone rules.
The experts found that if smoke control zones were implemented in all urban areas across the UK, PM2.5 emissions would be reduced by 1,591 tonnes per year – which is 14.6 per cent of total annual household combustion emissions of PM2.5.
But it was estimated that shutting down all non-essential domestic combustion would save £54 million in health care costs each year and prevent £164 million of annual productivity costs to the UK economy, a benefit almost five times greater than could be achieved using existing smoke control zone legislation alone.
In urban areas, it is believed that about 90 percent of the people have secondary sources of heat and are not using wood burners as the sole source of heat.
Different types of fuel also produce different levels of particulate matter, with dry wood producing the least amount of pollution and coal the most – but heating with electricity is the cleanest option for health.
Larissa Lockwood, director of policy and campaigns at Global Action Plan – the charity behind Clean Air Night, said: “Current measures to curb wood burning emissions are not tackling the burning problem.
“The UK government It must take action to ensure everyone can access cleaner, greener and more affordable heating – including ensuring homes have proper insulation – as well as strengthening powers to allow local authorities to tackle air pollution, and providing clear guidance to the public on the health harms of burning wood and other solid fuels in our homes.
In 2023, the Conservatives said they would tighten the limits that new stoves in smoke control areas would have to meet, with their goal being to reduce the limits from 5G to 3G. However, there is currently no law.
A government spokesperson said: “Air pollution is a public health issue. As set out in our NHS 10-year plan, we are committed to reducing emissions from household burning to protect public health and local communities.
“On wider air quality issues, we have provided £575 million to support local authorities since 2018 and we are working with them to cut emissions to reduce everyone’s exposure to air pollution.”