Woodburing - Time for a rethink

Stopping non-essential wood burning could save NHS over £54m annually.

Stopping non-essential wood burning in UK homes could help save the NHS millions of pounds and prevent thousands of deaths, as new research from the organisers of Clean Air Night reveals the stark health burden of wood burning.

The new research, commissioned by Global Action Plan and Hertfordshire County Council, finds that air pollution from domestic combustion contributes to nearly 2,500 deaths each year in the UK. Across the population, this adds up to over 27,000 years of life lost to early deaths. The report, produced by air quality and economic experts at world-leading environmental consultancy Ricardo, also suggests that air pollution from burning in the home contributes to new cases of a range of serious health conditions, including an average of 3,741 cases of diabetes and 1,493 cases of asthma in the UK each year.