The humble wood heater, a staple in many Australian homes for its cosy warmth and rustic charm, has come under intense scrutiny following a recent study that has revealed a darker side to this traditional source of heat.

Researchers are sounding the alarm, claiming that these seemingly innocuous appliances could be responsible for up to 63 premature deaths per year in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) alone.

This shocking revelation has led to calls for a nationwide ban on new wood heaters in urban areas and a gradual phasing out of existing ones.

The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found that the number of deaths attributed to domestic wood heaters in the ACT each year was comparable to the estimated number of premature deaths in the territory due to the extreme smoke from the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.

It was estimated that wood smoke causes 269 premature deaths a year in the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area and 65 deaths annually in Tasmania.

A new study showed the negative impact of wood heaters on people’s health. Image source: ASphotofamily on Freepik.

With these alarming figures, it's no wonder that the ACT has already moved to ban the heaters.

However, the study's findings have prompted its authors to urge environmental regulators and public health authorities in other states to follow suit.

The researchers measured the amount of microscopic particulates, known as PM 2.5, at three research stations in the capital, including Tuggeranong Valley, Belconnen and Central Canberra.

Long-term exposure can worsen respiratory conditions like asthma as the small particles can easily enter the bloodstream through the lungs.

It may also lead to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and some types of cancer.

Their modelling found that during colder years (2017, 2018, and 2021), the higher number of these particulates in the air would likely be responsible for 17 to 26 premature deaths in the ACT.

During milder years (2016-2022), this figure dropped to 11 to 15 deaths.

However, using the least conservative approach, these estimates jumped to 43 to 63 deaths a year during colder years and 26 to 36 deaths annually during the milder years.

The estimated costs of these deaths ranged from $57 million to $333 million.

Fay Johnston from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research co-authored the study and emphasised the urgent need for policies to address the dangers of wood heater use.

'They're highly polluting, which means only a few of them can affect entire neighbourhoods,' she explained.

'Policies to improve air quality, including addressing the burden that comes from wood heaters, are important all around Australia.'

Wood smoke is a particularly dangerous form of air pollution because wood heaters burn wood under highly variable conditions.

The wood undergoes what is known as 'incomplete combustion', which then leads to more dangerous by-products.

'There are increasing risks to wood heater owners, in addition to the burden on the community from pollution in general,' she added.

'Some very big recent studies from the United States found higher rates of cancer, for example, in people who use wood heaters even seasonally.'

Wood heater use and impact differ greatly across the nation.

Around 2.7 million Australians have asthma, and one in four of them can be triggered by smoke, with 455 dying nationally in 2022 from their asthma.

In NSW, about 10 per cent of homes use wood heaters for heating. However, towns such as Armidale use it extensively.

In Sydney, 24 per cent of wintertime air pollution comes from 4 per cent of homes that use wood heaters.

Furthermore, a government inquiry in Victoria in 2021 found wood heating as one of the 'significant contributors' to air pollution in built-up areas and has made recommendations for reform.

'It's the cumulative effect of the hundreds of thousands of chimneys that are going throughout a city,' Professor Johnston said.

Topography also reportedly played a significant role in the impact of wood smoke. Case in point, lower-lying town centres in Launceston and Armidale in NSW accumulated smoke more easily.

The ACT government is reportedly working on phasing out household wood heaters by 2045 except in rural areas.

It came after Sophie Lewis, the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, reported that there was 'no safe level of air pollution for human health' and the heaters had no place in the territory’s renewables future.

It was estimated that around 40,000 wood heaters are sold in Australia each year and are being used in almost 900,000 homes.

New-model woodfire heaters are also said to have lower emissions.

Key Takeaways

• A study in the Medical Journal of Australia indicates wood heaters contribute to premature deaths in the ACT, with estimates reaching up to 63 deaths annually during colder years.
• Long-term exposure to particulates emitted from wood heaters exacerbates respiratory conditions such as asthma and increases risks of heart attack, strokes, and some cancers.
• Researchers called for a ban on new wood heaters in urban areas and a phase-out of existing ones due to their significant health and environmental impacts.
• The ACT government plans to phase out household wood-fired heaters by 2045, except in rural areas, and there are suggestions for nationwide action to address wood heater pollution.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Have you experienced health issues due to wood smoke pollution? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.

 

[PattiB]

It disheartens me that so many of you are so busy blaming the government for everything that you dont even appear to consider the many people who suffer with breathing difficulties which are made worse by smoke from wood heaters and the endless burn offs. Some in my area insist on burning all sorts of vile smelling stuff in their wood heaters, including plastic, resulting in a terrible stench in the air. Barbecues don’t seem to emit a lot of smoke and most seem to be powered by gas otherwise during summer we can’t use them because of fire restrictions. If you have to have wood heating at least ensure it complies with the regulations.

 

[Knell]

So many different triggers for different people for asthma.

 

[Leenie]

The frequent and regular controlled burn offs around here are far worse than any home fireplaces.

Fraser Island and Tuan forest burn offs are really bad the smoke pall hangs around for days.

 

[Cyberchook]

My neighbour behind me has one and I can tell you they are detrimental to your health. We can never have our back door open when they have it going. The smell goes right through our house and on two occasions I had to go to hospital with breathing problems. My husband used to complain about it stinking all the time. I think we have moved on from what our ancestors did to keep warm. I remember growing up that we would wrap up in a blanket to keep warm and I still do. I have reverse cycle air conditioning but prefer a blanket or extra clothing.

I am sorry to hear that, wind and droughts control the direction of smoke. I wonder if they use the best firewood as ironbark as many in cities can burn unseasoned green wood, or other not suited as pine, creating toxic fumes. I am asthmatic and had a good combustion stove in the Blue Mountains where I lived for 23 years as it was the most economical, reliable form of heat. I never had any health issues with the smoke that was designed to be less toxic to the air than an open fire. I did have ducted gas fitted a couple of years before I sold the property, but rarely used it due to the high costs of heating then, and now it would be outrageously high as the population experiences low temperatures with longer winters in the mountains and great air. I would return if it were possible.

 

[gordon1940]

I answered this survey a few weeks ago.
It was one of the most blatantly-biased push-polls I've ever seen; an utter disgrace, reminiscent of the "Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics" quote of Mark Twain.

Ah statistics! A person standing with one leg in boiling water and the other in iced water is, statistically, on average quite comfortable.

 

[Rob44]

The humble wood heater, a staple in many Australian homes for its cosy warmth and rustic charm, has come under intense scrutiny following a recent study that has revealed a darker side to this traditional source of heat.

Researchers are sounding the alarm, claiming that these seemingly innocuous appliances could be responsible for up to 63 premature deaths per year in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) alone.

This shocking revelation has led to calls for a nationwide ban on new wood heaters in urban areas and a gradual phasing out of existing ones.

The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found that the number of deaths attributed to domestic wood heaters in the ACT each year was comparable to the estimated number of premature deaths in the territory due to the extreme smoke from the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.

It was estimated that wood smoke causes 269 premature deaths a year in the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area and 65 deaths annually in Tasmania.

View attachment 39312

A new study showed the negative impact of wood heaters on people’s health. Image source: ASphotofamily on Freepik.

With these alarming figures, it's no wonder that the ACT has already moved to ban the heaters.

However, the study's findings have prompted its authors to urge environmental regulators and public health authorities in other states to follow suit.

The researchers measured the amount of microscopic particulates, known as PM 2.5, at three research stations in the capital, including Tuggeranong Valley, Belconnen and Central Canberra.

Long-term exposure can worsen respiratory conditions like asthma as the small particles can easily enter the bloodstream through the lungs.

It may also lead to a higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, and some types of cancer.

Their modelling found that during colder years (2017, 2018, and 2021), the higher number of these particulates in the air would likely be responsible for 17 to 26 premature deaths in the ACT.

During milder years (2016-2022), this figure dropped to 11 to 15 deaths.

However, using the least conservative approach, these estimates jumped to 43 to 63 deaths a year during colder years and 26 to 36 deaths annually during the milder years.

The estimated costs of these deaths ranged from $57 million to $333 million.

Fay Johnston from the Menzies Institute for Medical Research co-authored the study and emphasised the urgent need for policies to address the dangers of wood heater use.

'They're highly polluting, which means only a few of them can affect entire neighbourhoods,' she explained.

'Policies to improve air quality, including addressing the burden that comes from wood heaters, are important all around Australia.'

Wood smoke is a particularly dangerous form of air pollution because wood heaters burn wood under highly variable conditions.

The wood undergoes what is known as 'incomplete combustion', which then leads to more dangerous by-products.

'There are increasing risks to wood heater owners, in addition to the burden on the community from pollution in general,' she added.

'Some very big recent studies from the United States found higher rates of cancer, for example, in people who use wood heaters even seasonally.'

Wood heater use and impact differ greatly across the nation.

Around 2.7 million Australians have asthma, and one in four of them can be triggered by smoke, with 455 dying nationally in 2022 from their asthma.

In NSW, about 10 per cent of homes use wood heaters for heating. However, towns such as Armidale use it extensively.

In Sydney, 24 per cent of wintertime air pollution comes from 4 per cent of homes that use wood heaters.

Furthermore, a government inquiry in Victoria in 2021 found wood heating as one of the 'significant contributors' to air pollution in built-up areas and has made recommendations for reform.

'It's the cumulative effect of the hundreds of thousands of chimneys that are going throughout a city,' Professor Johnston said.

Topography also reportedly played a significant role in the impact of wood smoke. Case in point, lower-lying town centres in Launceston and Armidale in NSW accumulated smoke more easily.

The ACT government is reportedly working on phasing out household wood heaters by 2045 except in rural areas.

It came after Sophie Lewis, the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, reported that there was 'no safe level of air pollution for human health' and the heaters had no place in the territory’s renewables future.

It was estimated that around 40,000 wood heaters are sold in Australia each year and are being used in almost 900,000 homes.

New-model woodfire heaters are also said to have lower emissions.

Key Takeaways

• A study in the Medical Journal of Australia indicates wood heaters contribute to premature deaths in the ACT, with estimates reaching up to 63 deaths annually during colder years.
• Long-term exposure to particulates emitted from wood heaters exacerbates respiratory conditions such as asthma and increases risks of heart attack, strokes, and some cancers.
• Researchers called for a ban on new wood heaters in urban areas and a phase-out of existing ones due to their significant health and environmental impacts.
• The ACT government plans to phase out household wood-fired heaters by 2045, except in rural areas, and there are suggestions for nationwide action to address wood heater pollution.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Have you experienced health issues due to wood smoke pollution? Share your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.

So let us ban all cars/SUVs/utes/buses/trucks/aeroplanes and trains. They require energy, obtained by burning CO2 and produce assorted lung-damaging particulates that are irritating. They also run over people and our native fauna.

Even electric vehicles require energy, and that even though from wind-farms and solar power, the manufacture of equipment to produce that energy involves smelting metals , mining assorted stuff from quartz sand to lithium to copper to aluminium and heating it to various temperatures in various ways. Even the innocuous copper wires coated in plastic and the aluminium frames of our solar cells have a damaging role to to play.

I trust that the ACT will comply with my requirements.

PS. And we should ban wars. They also kill people and produce lots of dust and fine particulate soot among other poisons.

 

[Rob44]

Politicians and public servants don’t care ,with their noses in the trough ,they can afford to live in luxury on tax payer funds ,doesn’t matter about the rest of us .

I understand that a lot of people love wood heaters but I’m not one of them. Launceston is frequently enveloped in smoke haze during winter which isn’t great for sufferers of asthma & various lung conditions. Our council had a buy back scheme a few years back which did help but recent winters smoke is back everywhere. A lot of people remove the anti pollution measures so the heater burns overnight which apparently contributes to the problem. The smoke in the air late afternoon & into the night is absolutely terrible. I would love to see them banned!

The double-burner wood-heater designed by NZDSIR in 1976, when the NZ Government had the intelligence to sponsor science by government employees (scientists with PhDs and qualifications like that), was designed to burn its own smoke and be 90% efficient. What stove manufacturers have done since 1976 with closed stoves has been up to the private manufacturing industry and the users of the stoves.

 

[Gsr]

Yep, I grew up with wood fires summer and winter, open fires inside in the winter at home and at school, camp fires, burning off on properties, a fire under the copper on wash days. Bushfires most summers. A father and several uncles who smoked inside, in the car, and smoke filled halls at neighbourhood gatherings. I have never had any lung issues and have reached a good age without any health issues from any sort of smoke. We don’t have a wood heater as hubby has asthma and we find it easier to just switch on our ducted aircon than to chase around after wood. But I find the smell of smoke comforting and takes me back to my memories of childhood.

 

[maggiej]

I have my first son who has had Asthma since a very young child at first I was just told it was Bronchitis but later Asthma. He still has bad times with it when bushfires are about and when they are doing burnoffs . He is in his 60's now and we had wood fires when we lived in the country. It is hard to say what really causes it as I had two sons and a daughter none of them got Asthma

 

[Leenie]

The double-burner wood-heater designed by NZDSIR in 1976, when the NZ Government had the intelligence to sponsor science by government employees (scientists with PhDs and qualifications like that), was designed to burn its own smoke and be 90% efficient. What stove manufacturers have done since 1976 with closed stoves has been up to the private manufacturing industry and the users of the stoves.

My wood fire is a NZ one ,a Kent brand

 

[Leenie]

Yep, I grew up with wood fires summer and winter, open fires inside in the winter at home and at school, camp fires, burning off on properties, a fire under the copper on wash days. Bushfires most summers. A father and several uncles who smoked inside, in the car, and smoke filled halls at neighbourhood gatherings. I have never had any lung issues and have reached a good age without any health issues from any sort of smoke. We don’t have a wood heater as hubby has asthma and we find it easier to just switch on our ducted aircon than to chase around after wood. But I find the smell of smoke comforting and takes me back to my memories of childhood.

They are days I remember as well ,the old copper boiler who can forget that

Yep, I grew up with wood fires summer and winter, open fires inside in the winter at home and at school, camp fires, burning off on properties, a fire under the copper on wash days. Bushfires most summers. A father and several uncles who smoked inside, in the car, and smoke filled halls at neighbourhood gatherings. I have never had any lung issues and have reached a good age without any health issues from any sort of smoke. We don’t have a wood heater as hubby has asthma and we find it easier to just switch on our ducted aircon than to chase around after wood. But I find the smell of smoke comforting and takes me back to my memories of childhood.

i also remember those days ,the old copper boiler that takes me back , who doesn’t remember that, mum was up early to do the washing everything had its place on the clothesline,great memories.

 

[Macarj]

I understand that a lot of people love wood heaters but I’m not one of them. Launceston is frequently enveloped in smoke haze during winter which isn’t great for sufferers of asthma & various lung conditions. Our council had a buy back scheme a few years back which did help but recent winters smoke is back everywhere. A lot of people remove the anti pollution measures so the heater burns overnight which apparently contributes to the problem. The smoke in the air late afternoon & into the night is absolutely terrible. I would love to see them banned!

And there is the reason for the smoke, people don't us wood heaters properly and don't always use dry timber we have a wood heater and it doesn't smoke we keep our heater well maintained

 

[magpie1]

for goodness sake their is more pollution ALL YEAR round from cars and trucks than there is in the coldest winter ever imaginable......