The deadly impact of burning wood and other solids in London

A study has shown that the daily death rate in London increases when the air is polluted by the burning of wood and other solids.

This pattern was identified by looking at the death data of more than 465,000 people over a 10-year period. The clearest sign was seen in the death rates from respiratory problems.

To know which source of pollution is the most harmful is a long-standing goal of health researchers to help governments focus their efforts on cleaning our air.

As part of a research team at Imperial College London we set out to investigate whether daily deaths in the city were affected by different types of carbonaceous air pollution particles. This includes particles of diesel exhaust And house burning as well as those who shape in the air from solvents, paints, aerosol propellants and even everyday chemicals in personal care products and home printer inks.

It is a tragic reality of living conditions in the UK that more people die during cold winter weather and also in summer heat wavesThat’s why we’ve taken careful measures to remove the signals of cold and hot weather.

We found that particles from burning wood and solid fuel clearly correlated with daily mortality rates, with increases lasting for at least three days.

Particles of wood and solid fuel peak every winter in London and are worst on weekend evenings. More people are also lighting fires on cold, windless days and outside on windless summer evenings. These are times when pollution from all sources can linger in the city. We reran the analysis to see if this effect was the reason for the associations between wood burning and mortality. It wasn’t – instead, the impact of wood burning became clearer.

The health effects of burning wood and solid fuels were not limited to the winter months when people use their stoves and fireplaces. Although there are many less wood combustion pollution in summer than in winter, wood combustion particles were found to be more harmful in summer than the same concentration of wood combustion in winter. This may be due to increased exposure when people gather around campfires, fire pits or garden fireplaces. Sunshine and warmer weather also cause chemical reactions between pollutants that can affect their toxicity.

Further evidence comes from places where steps have been taken to reduce wood heating. These include studies in American mountain townsin Southern California and in Tasmaniawhere pollution from wood burning decreased significantly, all accompanied by improved health in the local community.