- Burning wood at home now produces more pollution than road transport
- 22% of the most harmful pollution comes from burning wood, compared to 18% from roads.
- The proportion of particle pollution from this type of kitchen has increased by a fifth in ten years.
Efforts to combat air pollution are being undermined by the middle class’s tendency to install wood stoves, official figures show.
An increase in pollution caused by burning wood at home is offsetting a drop in pollution from cars, trucks and electricity generation.
Burning wood at home currently produces more particle pollution than road transport, Data published by the Department for the Environment (Defra) showsproducing 22 percent of the most harmful type of particle pollution, compared to 18 percent on roads.
Defra’s air pollution report said the proportion of particulate pollutants coming from wood stoves and fires had increased by around a fifth in the past 10 years.
Environmental campaigners have warned that burning wood at home contributes to asthma in children in the UK.
Figures show that rising pollution caused by burning wood in the country is offsetting falling pollution from cars, trucks and electricity production.
Figures released by the Department of Environment show that 22 per cent of the most damaging type of particle pollution now comes from burning wood, compared to 18 per cent from roads.
Among critics of wood stoves is the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Chris Whitty, who has told MPs they contribute “a significant proportion of our particulate matter, especially in winter”.
Particulates are fine invisible particles measured in two units: PM2.5, smaller particles measuring 2.5 micrometers, and larger particles, PM10, measuring 10 micrometers.
A typical human hair is about 70 micrometers wide, 30 times larger than a fine particle.
The report says that by 2022: “Emissions of PM10 and PM2.5 from domestic combustion have increased by 19 percent between 2012 and 2022, reflecting the increased popularity of solid fuel household appliances such as stoves. firewood”.
He also noted that the UK is burning more “biomass” (wood pellets) industrially at power stations such as Drax in Yorkshire, which contributes around 10 per cent of the UK’s electricity generation.
Considerable decreases in emissions from some sources, such as road transport and the energy sector, have been “largely offset” by an increase in household wood burning and the use of biomass fuels in industry, according to the report.
He said the rise in emissions from wood stoves comes as most other air pollutants are declining, thanks to a reduction in coal use in homes, industry and power generation, and to emissions regulations. stricter emissions for road transport.
Household wood burning contributed to 22 percent of total PM2.5 emissions and 11 percent of overall PM10 emissions in 2022.
This compares to 18 percent of PM2.5 emissions and 16 percent of PM10 emissions on roads.
Road transport emissions are made up of both exhaust emissions and non-exhaust emissions from brakes, tires and road wear.
Jemima Hartshorn, co-founder of Mums for Lungs, said yesterday: “The UK is a real hotspot for asthma in children and the toxic air we breathe contributes to this.”
‘Many people choose to burn at home, but burning wood on an open fire or stove releases huge amounts of tiny particles that enter our body and cause inflammation in our lungs, hearts and brains.
“If you can, try to protect your children and your neighbors and don’t burn.”
A little-known air pollutant increased during the pandemic years, according to the report.
NMVOCs (non-methane volatile organic compounds) increased in 2020 “largely due to increased use of hand sanitizers during the COVID-19 pandemic,” but the report noted that they have since fallen back to pre-pandemic levels.