Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to health in the UK, contributing to up to 43,000 premature deaths every year. Exposure to pollutants such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is linked to serious and potentially fatal diseases affecting the heart, lungs, and brain.
While air pollution harms us all, it does not affect everyone equally. People on lower incomes, people from racialised communities, children, older adults, and those with pre-existing health conditions are all disproportionately affected.
Yes, wood burners produce fine particulate pollution (PM2.5), which has severe effects on people’s health. PM2.5 particles are inhaled deep into the lungs. Once there, they can pass into the bloodstream, where they trigger inflammation and affect organs throughout the body. Over time, exposure to PM2.5 can cause:
It has also been linked to:
Read more about how air pollution affects health.
We’re proud to support Global Action Plan’s campaign Clean Air Night, to raise awareness of the health effects of burning wood.
This year, as part of the campaign, Global Action Plan and Hertfordshire County Council have commissioned new research from Ricardo. The new modelling shows that reducing wood burning in homes could deliver massive health and economic benefits across the UK.
Ricardo’s modelling has found that domestic wood burning contributes to 2,490 deaths per year in the UK. This estimate only reflects outdoor air-pollution impacts; total health effects, including indoor exposure to wood-smoke particles, are likely to be higher.
Ricardo’s study modelled two national policy scenarios against 2023 baseline emissions:
Scenario 1 assumed that Smoke Control Areas were applied and properly enforced in all urban areas across the UK.
Scenario 2 modelled the effects if all “secondary burning” (defined as when burning wood is not used as a primary heat source, for example burning for aesthetic reasons), were stopped.
Read the full report: Health Impacts from Domestic Burning in the UK.
Applying the same model at county level found that:
The analysis indicates that while enforcing Smoke Control Areas can achieve measurable air-quality and health gains, ending non-essential wood burning has a much larger potential impact, cutting domestic PM2.5 emissions by nearly three-quarters and saving the NHS tens of millions of pounds every year.
Global Action Plan’s 2024 policy pathway to phase out domestic burning by 2030 offers a structured set of measures that central and local government could deploy.
The pathway recommends acting across multiple fronts:
According to the pathway, many of these measures can begin immediately; others would take phased implementation across the remainder of the decade. The aim would be to halt new stove installations rapidly, reverse permissive regulations, and drive a managed transition for existing burners, especially in homes that already have access to cleaner heating.
The latest evidence shows that doing so would save lives, spare immeasurable suffering from preventable diseases, and save the NHS tens of millions of pounds every year.
Learn more about Global Action Plan’s campaign and how you can get involved in Clean Air Night.
Health effects of air pollution
The Government's decision to permit wood-burning stoves in new builds contradicts growing evidence about the harmful effects these stoves have on public health and the environment.
Health effects of air pollution
Communicating clearly about the connection between wood burning and air pollution could improve public health. That’s why we’re publishing research for councils and campaigners about the most effective ways to talk about wood burning.
Health effects of air pollution
There’s a perception that burning wood is a cheaper way to heat a home. New research we’ve supported by Global Action Plan shows not only is that not true, but there are significant hidden costs to burning wood.
