Wood-burning stoves can damage the lungs in a similar way to cigarette smoke, researchers have warned.
The study, presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, showed those who used wood stoves lost lung capacity more quickly than non-users – even though they tended to be wealthier, healthier and less likely to smoke.
Scientists examined data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which tracks the health of thousands of people.
They analysed repeated lung function tests over eight years, measuring FEV1 – the amount of air a person can forcefully exhale in the first second of a breath.
Low FEV1 values are linked to higher risks of respiratory disease, disability and early death.
Dr Laura Horsfall, Principal Research Fellow at University College London, who led the study, said: ‘Our study suggests that high levels of particulate matter from stoves damage respiratory tissues, causing inflammation in a similar way to cigarette smoke.’
She added: ‘We know wood burning at home emits harmful air pollution both indoors and outdoors including known carcinogens.
‘Despite this, air pollution from this source has approximately doubled in the UK since 2009 as more people install and use wood stoves.
Wood-burning stoves can damage the lungs in a similar way to cigarette smoke, researchers have warned
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The findings suggest that the fashion for wood-burning stoves, often marketed as environmentally friendly, could be driving a hidden health problem.
A recent University College London analysis found that the number of UK homes with wood burners increased from 9.4 per cent in 2022 to 10.3 per cent in 2024, based on Energy Performance Certificates – despite growing concern about their health harms.
In Britain, domestic solid fuel – mainly wood but also coal burned in stoves and fireplaces – now produces a fifth of the country’s most dangerous fine particle pollution, known as PM2.5.
That is five times the amount generated by vehicle exhausts.
Annual emissions from domestic wood burning have nearly doubled in little more than a decade, rising from 3,200 tonnes in 2009 to 6,000 tonnes in 2023.
Research in poorer countries, where indoor wood smoke is widely used for cooking and heating, has already shown clear links with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.
But this is the first large-scale study in a wealthy country to show similar effects.
One complication in studying the issue is that wood stove users are often healthier overall.
Dr Horsfall explained: ‘We found that people using solid fuel had lower rates of smoking and lung disease, which can mask the true effects of solid fuel exposure.
In Britain, domestic solid fuel – mainly wood, but also coal burned in stoves and fireplaces – now produces a fifth of the country’s most dangerous fine particle pollution
The pollutants – PM2.5s – are said to be worse than all of the UK’s road traffic put together
‘However, using repeated lung function measurements over an eight-year period, we found that lung function declined faster among solid fuel users compared to non-users, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and housing factors.’
Professor Ane Johannessen, head of the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on epidemiology and environment, who was not involved in the study, said: ‘In Europe, we are seeing a growing trend for using wood-burning stoves at home.
‘Research in other parts of the world, where traditional wood burning is used in the home, has shown that this is harmful and causes asthma, COPD and lung cancer.
‘These findings suggest that wood-burners used in European homes may have similar effects and should be considered a potential environmental risk factor when assessing respiratory health, especially in patients with unexplained lung function decline or chronic respiratory symptoms.
‘New eco-design European wood-burners are generally considered cleaner and safer than more traditional wood stoves.
‘But many European homes still employ older wood-burners, and even the newer stoves may not be entirely risk-free.
‘People should be aware that these stoves could be harming them and their families, and doctors should be asking their patients about whether they are using stoves at home.’
Health experts warn that children, whose lungs are still developing, and older people, who may already have reduced breathing capacity, are particularly at risk.
In the US, regulators have raised similar concerns.
A review by the Environmental Protection Agency found that many wood stoves on the market were emitting more pollution than advertised, prompting lawsuits from environmental groups.
NHS figures show hospital admissions for asthma attacks and other acute breathing problems have also risen among under-50s in Britain over the past decade, with air pollution a key factor.
The new research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, is observational and has not yet been peer reviewed.
Campaigners and health experts have called for tougher action, with groups such as Mums for Lungs urging a phase-out of new stoves within the next few years and bans on non-essential burning by the 2030s.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has pressed for wood-burners to be phased out in urban areas to protect children, while doctors in Scotland and environmental health bodies have demanded bans on new installations in towns and cities.
Regulators are under growing pressure to follow suit, amid warnings that even modern ‘eco-design’ models are not risk-free.
