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Residential heating with wood or coal can lead to significant air pollution, even in rural communities, researchers say
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Located in Saxony and surrounded by agricultural land and pasture, Melpitz is home to about 200 people. They live in 63 houses, mostly heated by oil or wood central heating, with a small number of homes using coal.

The researchers found that wintertime particle pollution in the village was often double that in the nearby fields. The air was worst at the weekends when smoke from stoves added to the pollution mixture. For the villagers, the risk from the extra particle pollution was estimated to be half as high as their risk of death in a traffic accident.
The air in Melpitz contained cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are persistent pollutants in wood and coal smoke. The cancer risk from these exposures was similar to that in major European cities, including Athens and Florence.

Van Pinxteren said the findings were signifcant: “Residential heating with wood can lead to significant pollution, even in small villages. The emissions take place where people are living. Everyone – from young to old – is inevitably affected because we all breathe the same air.”
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An earlier study in Ireland also linked indoor smoke from open fires to accelerated cognitive decline, and US a study found that heating a home with a wood stove or fireplace increased the risk of lung cancer by 43%.
There is clearly an urgent need for better data, and for actions to reduce exposure to wood and coal pollution in rural communities across Europe.

Tessa Bartholomew-Good, from the charity Global Action Plan, said: “Public awareness of the harms of domestic burning is still too low. The first step should be to highlight these harms to consumers. For example, introducing health warning labels for both stoves and solid fuels like wood, coal and alternative fuel, similar to the ways used to land the public health harms of smoking.”

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Moxi wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:49 am Interesting but I found the statement:

"There is clearly an urgent need for better data, and for actions to reduce exposure to wood and coal pollution in rural communities across Europe"

to be a bit tunnel visioned - the pollution from coal and wood burners appeared to make the air quality in the country side comparable with the cities so why isn't there a push to bring everyone's air quality up to common standard by removing ALL kinds of polluting systems not just WBS and coal fires?

Surely banning coal fires, WBS, ICE vehicles and gas appliances from cities as well as villages is the way forward to better air quality ? or will that impact the researchers personal lifestyle choices too much ?

Dont get me wrong I am actively moving to less polluting technologies as fast as my limited budget allows and I appreciate that some of these fuels are very damaging BUT for some of the poorest people in Europe as well as globally, the cheapest fuel is often scavenged wood which is used for heating and cooking so if we want to dispense with this form of fuel we need these people to be given access to alternate better fuels that are subsidised to bring their price to the same cost as the wood fuel it is replacing this often means providing free energy.

Moxi

Ken wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:16 am This is the line,
"An earlier study in Ireland also linked indoor smoke from open fires to accelerated cognitive decline," Yes OPEN fires burning non dry and contaminated wood.