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Wood heating use linked to heart and lung disease

2026-01-27 19:05:00, Lifestyle CNA

Wood heating use linked to heart and lung disease

Lighting a fire on a cold winter night may feel cozy. But a new study suggests it could also be damaging to your health.

Researchers at Northwestern University found that burning wood in homes is responsible for about 22% of outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution during the winter across the US.

This is despite the fact that only 2% of households use firewood as their main source of heating.

PM2.5 particles are small and dangerous. They can travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

Long-term exposure has been linked to heart disease, lung disease, and premature death.

The research team estimates that pollution from residential wood burning is linked to around 8,600 premature deaths each year.

The study was published on January 23 in the journal Science Advances.

"Long-term exposure to fine particles is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease," said Kyan Shlipak, a mechanical engineering student at Northwestern University.

"Studies have consistently shown that this exposure leads to a higher risk of death," he added in a press release.

"Our study suggests that one way to significantly reduce this pollution is to reduce wood burning in homes."

Shlipak noted that using alternative devices to heat homes instead of burning wood would have a major impact on fine particles in the air.

Urban areas are the hardest hit

Smoke from suburban homes that use wood heating often spreads to surrounding cities, where more people live.

Using detailed US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data and computer models, researchers tracked how smoke spread neighborhood by neighborhood.

They found that burning wood in homes is one of the biggest sources of fine particle pollution during the winter.

The study only looked at outdoor air. It did not include exposure to indoor smoke, which can also be harmful./ CNA





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