Trendy wood-burning stoves are Britain’s biggest source of the most dangerous form of air pollution called PM2.5, new research shows.
A fall in particulate matter pollution from road transport and heavy industry, such as steel, has meant parts of Britain have had the cleanest air for decades.
But despite the overall downward trend, the use of wood-burning stoves is increasing, the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) report warns.
It is widely believed that particulate pollution is the air pollutant with the greatest impact on human health, increasing the risk of respiratory and heart disease and increasing the number of hospital admissions.
Children who grow up exposed to particulate matter are more likely to have reduced lung function and may develop asthma if the small particles enter the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
The IFS says in its report: ‘The three biggest sources of primary PM2.5 in Britain are household burning of wood and other fuels (29 percent of total PM2.5 emissions in 2022), road transport (17. 9 percent of total PM2.5 emissions) PM2.5 emissions in 2022), and industrial processes and product use (16.5 percent of total PM2.5 emissions in 2022), such as construction and steel production.
‘The only source of PM2.5 emissions that has increased over the period is domestic combustion. Three-quarters of household combustion emissions of PM2.5 in 2022 came from wood burning.’
Only stoves that have been officially awarded the ‘Ecodesign’ quality mark can be offered for sale in the UK and all wood for sale must be certified as ‘Ready to Burn’.
According to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) report, the only source of PM2.5 emissions that has increased since 2003 is domestic combustion.
Trendy wood-burning stoves are Britain’s biggest source of the most dangerous form of air pollution called PM2.5, new research shows (stock image)
But in practice, councils have minimal control over wood burning at home – with just one prosecution by a local authority in England in 2022, despite 10,600 complaints from residents, according to research carried out by pressure group Mums for Lungs.
Overall, the report says that in most parts of Britain, levels of PM2.5 pollution have fallen below the government’s 2040 target, although not below the stricter limit set by the World Health Organization.
“The proportion of the English population exposed to PM2.5 levels above England’s 2040 target has fallen from 99 percent in 2003 to less than 0.1 percent in 2023,” the report said.
Air pollution fell sharply during the pandemic but has remained at lower levels since.
Between 2003 and 2023, average PM2.5 levels in England fell by 54 percent.
A 2022 study cited by Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, showed that even ‘Eco-design’ stoves generated 450 times more toxic air pollution than gas central heating, while older stoves that are now off sale generated 3,700 produced times more.
Bobbie Upton, research economist at IFS and author of the report, said: ‘There is growing evidence that fine particle air pollution is extremely harmful to health, especially for children and the elderly.
‘It is difficult to fully explain the striking decline in air pollution that began in 2020, during the COVID pandemic.
‘New clean air zones in several of England’s biggest cities and reduced steel production may both have played a role.
“It is important for the health of the country, and for reducing health inequalities, that progress in reducing air pollution continues.”
The report also shows that ethnic minorities are now less exposed to pollution, down to just six percent above the average level for white populations in 2023, down from 13 percent in 2023.
The report states that this decline in the ‘ethnic pollution gap’ was initially due to ethnic minorities moving to less polluted parts of the country (largely moving from London to a smaller city), while cities with large ethnic minority populations, mainly London and Birmingham have also experienced a drop in air pollution.
But the report shows that lower-income areas have persistently higher levels of air pollution than wealthier areas.
In 2023, individuals in the top 20 percent of the most deprived areas experienced 8 percent higher average PM2.5 concentrations than those in the bottom 20 percent.
* Do you still love your wood stove? Send an email to: mark.duell@dailymail.co.uk *