Campaigners call for curbs on ‘polluting’ wood-burning stoves to protect human health and the environment

A new Scottish campaign group is being set up to raise awareness of the negative health impacts of wood-burning stoves and call for action to tackle the problem.

Clackmannanshire-based environmental activist Mandy Cairns is in the early stages of establishing the group, Communities Against Woodsmoke, due to concerns over toxic emissions given off by burning wood.

She herself is allergic to wood smoke and needs medication to live in her own home in Dollar, where – like most places – the number of households with stoves has risen dramatically in recent times.

Log-burners have become increasingly popular, both for creating a cosy atmosphere and due to perceptions that they are a greener or cheaper way to heat homes.

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But burning wood as fuel is a big contributor to harmful air pollution, which has been linked to a wide range of health problems – including heart and lung disease, asthma, dementia and mental illness in children.

Breathing dirty air has been named as one of the leading factors behind premature deaths worldwide, claiming around 6.5 million lives annually – including an estimated 38,000 in the UK, 2,500 of them in Scotland.

Wood-burning stoves have become increasingly popular in recent years, partly for the 'cosy' atmosphere they create but also due to the perception that they offer a greener or cheaper way to heat homes than other fuel types

Meanwhile, official government statistics show air pollution from wood-burning in UK homes has more than doubled in the past decade.

They also reveal that households burning solid fuel, including coal, are the single biggest source of small particulate matter, PM2.5, being released into the atmosphere.

Cairns says her own situation has become unbearable, but many others across the country are also suffering.

“My body collapses when I’m around wood smoke and my muscles stop working properly so I struggle to walk and to breathe,” she said.

Environmental campaigners Mandy Cairns and Mark Jacques were in Stirling last weekend to highlight the dangers of wood smoke pollution

“Everyone should have a right to breathe clean air.

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“Cigarette-smoking has been banned from indoor places for a number of years because the research on how bad it is for anyone breathing it in was understood and accepted.

“Given that wood smoke contains most of the same harmful chemicals, but in much greater quantities, it poses a far greater health risk to us.

Mandy Cairns, an environmental activist, is setting up a new campaign group – Communities Against Woodsmoke – to raise awareness of the health and environmental impacts of burning wood and call for regulations to curb use of log-burners

“And yet there is no legislation around it.

“A wealth of scientific data from studies around the world shows how bad wood smoke is for our health and for the environment, and yet no action is being taken in Scotland to curb it.

“Other countries and cities around the world have taken measures to tackle this problem, with London being the most recent – banning installation of wood-burners in all new-builds.”

Fellow clean air campaigner Mark Jacques said even the most modern, eco-friendly burners belch out as much pollution as six diesel lorries.

“Most wood-stove chimneys are located within just a few metres of neighbours’ windows, doors and extractor fan vents, and these dangerous PM2.5 particles are small enough to infiltrate into nearby properties easily,” he said.

“If air is able to get into your house, then PM2.5 is able to as well.

“This is extremely bad for everyone’s health.”

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The campaigners are calling for new regulations to control use of wood-burning stoves, to protect public health and reduce climate emissions from burning trees.

“Health warnings should be given at the point of sale to anyone wishing to buy a wood-burning stove,” Cairns said.

“Planning restrictions need to be put in place regarding the installation and siting of chimneys.”

Jacques added: “It’s time for the government and local authorities to bring in legislation to protect our planet and our health and reduce the burden on the NHS.”