...and our thoughts turn to making our homes a welcoming place to be. For many people that’s synonymous with lighting their fire or wood burning stove. This is even after the changes in regulation to control the wood burnt to less polluting types. Yet very few if any provide the main, let alone only, heat source for residents. Did you know that wood burning stoves produce as much PM2.5 pollution as cars in Lambeth - see Lambeth Air Quality Action Plan - consultation on this is currently underway, please contribute.

Wood burning is a major contributor to air pollution, and even Defra-approved wood burning stoves emit high levels of particulate matter (PM2.5). In fact, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty’s 2022 air pollution report notes that an Ecodesign stove emits 450 times more PM2.5 pollution than a gas boiler. Other research shows that even occasional wood burning is linked to a 43% increase in lung cancer in women. And the wood that is burned doesn’t just affect the people in that house, it affects their neighbours too. 

Many people don’t know about the health impact of lighting a fire, as it is not widely publicised. If you see wood burning promoted as a homely and cosy thing to do in a magazine or website, Mums for Lungs have a template here.

On top of all the health hazards, Lambeth is in the Smoke Control area of London – so it is illegal to release smoke from your chimney – and there are strict rules on what you can burn – find all the details here

Lambeth is part of the London Wood Burning Project which aims to raise awareness of the associated health and environmental impacts.