Once seen as a cosy addition to modern homes, indoor wood-burning stoves are now under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A new study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam warns that these stoves may be as damaging to the lungs as smoking cigarettes.The research found that people who use wood stoves lose lung capacity more quickly than non-users, despite generally being wealthier, healthier, and less likely to smoke. Scientists say the findings raise urgent questions about the hidden health risks behind a trend often promoted as sustainable and eco-friendly.
Study reveals shocking health risks
Researchers used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, tracking repeated lung function tests over eight years. They measured FEV1, the amount of air a person can exhale forcefully in the first second of breathing, a key indicator linked to respiratory disease, disability, and early death.
“Similar to cigarette smoke”
Dr Laura Horsfall, Principal Research Fellow at University College London and lead author of the study, told DailyMail“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.”
Growing trend despite risks
University College London analysis found that the proportion of UK homes with wood burners rose from 9.4% in 2022 to 10.3% in 2024, based on Energy Performance Certificates.Domestic solid fuels, mainly wood, now produce 20% of the UK’s PM2.5 pollution — five times more than vehicle exhausts. Annual emissions from wood burning nearly doubled from 3,200 tonnes in 2009 to 6,000 tonnes in 2023, according to official figures.
Evidence from around the world
Studies in poorer countries, where indoor wood smoke is common for cooking and heating, have already linked exposure to asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. This new research is the first large-scale study in a wealthy country to show similar health effects.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. 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.”
Children and older adults at highest risk
Health experts warn that children, whose lungs are still developing, and older adults, who may already have reduced lung capacity, are most vulnerable.In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency found that many wood stoves emitted more pollution than advertised, prompting lawsuits from environmental groups. Meanwhile, NHS data shows rising hospital admissions for asthma attacks and acute breathing problems among under-50s in the UK over the past decade, with air pollution cited as a major contributor.The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, is observational and has not yet been peer reviewed. Still, campaigners and medical bodies are urging tougher regulations.Groups such as Mums for Lungs are calling for a phase-out of new stoves within a few years and bans on non-essential burning by the 2030s. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has urged a ban on wood-burners in urban areas, while doctors in Scotland and environmental health groups have pressed for similar restrictions.Regulators are now under pressure to act, with mounting evidence that even modern “eco-design” stoves may not be safe.
