To think our air quality is getting worse due to the rise of woodburners

[Brownbootscoldheart]

I live in a semi rural area - a large village surrounded by other large towns and villages and since the start of winter there is a constant smell of woodsmoke In the air. It’s especially strong in the evenings and the air is still thick some mornings if it’s a still day.
I agree it can sometimes smell quite nice but mostly it’s an acrid smell, not dissimilar to creosote so I assume people are burning wood treated with something.
I feel we are going backwards with regards to air quality, the clean air act went a huge way to improving the situation in the later decades of the last century but due to the rise of this needless accessory (I say needless as I would expect most people have central heating and it’s just a fad to have a woodburner) I would think we are going backwards.

Anyone else agree?

YANBU at all. It's shocking around here too.

Yep you’re right. Very faddy too. Some people have spent a lot of money on a new fireplace andcthryll be changing it in a few years time, following fashion. That’s a waste too.

There is no mains gas in many of our surrounding villages. What would you suggest they do?

We'll soon need regulation like we did with coal as some of the stuff being burnt must be toxic. You're not supposed to burn just any old wood.

yanbu

they stink

if you don't havd mains gas you could get oil or gas delivered.

I say needless as I would expect most people have central heating and it’s just a fad to have a woodburner

Living rurally, no, it's not a fad.
I prefer to be warm indoors in winter. I'm definitely not going to freeze my arse off just so you don't have to smell woodsmoke!

We don't have gas in this tiny village, oil isn't cheap but wood is easily obtainable.

Yabu. We live on a farm. Two winters ago two huge trees came down in a storm. We're still burning the wood from them. I still pay for oil but save a fortune burning our wood.

I think cars are more of a problem for our air quality

I doubt woodburners are any worse than the endless bonfires of garden waste that could be composted, and the endless builders rubbish which should be taken to the dump but if it isn't burned it gets dumped in country lanes or someone's drive.

It is a fad in cities. Stupid putting a wood burner into a terrace in London when radiators do the job just fine.

Wow 😮 forty thousand premature deaths form car pollution & you’re worried about wood burners. Perhaps tackle the biggest issue first to prevent disease and early death

There is no mains gas in many of our surrounding villages. What would you suggest they do?

Most people seem to have oil tanks

We’ve had a wood burner for 15 years. We only use kiln dried logs as they burn cleaner than wet logs or improperly dried wood. It’s a clearview which is very efficient with the burning. We’re in a hamlet. I’m not feeling guilty.

Sadly not everyone does what you do.

YANBU. I love love love wood smoke and wood burners but I don’t have them because I know they are bad.

@sugarplumfairy almost vullages round here use oil. We have electric and wear jumpers.

Nope. Wood burners are designed to be clean burning. And it’s literally burnt wood. How can that damage air quality?

As long as clean dry wood is being used there is no issue. If you look at my chimney you can hardly even see any smoke coming out of it.

I suspect the problem isn't with log burners where people are using proper logs, but more that some people will be burning stuff like mdf releasing all sorts of toxins

YANBU. I live in London and lots of my friends have them, they all swear that they are clean and efficient but last time I sat in a room with one on I could hardly breathe. It's all the same parents who worry about sugar in food for their kids, but apparently don't give a shit about the carcinogens from wood smoke. I grew up rurally with wood fires, I don't miss the cleaning them. There's a proven spike in the loss of air quality in the winters since they became fashionable again. As someone said, it's all terraced houses with gas central heating so completely unnecessary.

Industry creates a whole load more air pollution than wood burners. The article below references farming but overall woodburner pollution is a tiny part of the total
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/17/farming-is-single-biggest-cause-of-worst-air-pollution-in-europe

Most councils heavily regulate new installations and strict standards must be met. If people have older or non compliant models they can face heavy fines and inforced removal in some areas. Might be worth looking into if it worries you :)

Even an eco wood burnet can generate as much particle pollution as 6 diesel cars.

They should certainly be banned in cities where they are largely cosmetic. Personally I would love a wood burning stove but I never have one because of the environmental issues.

And it’s literally burnt wood. How can that damage air quality?

It literally releases carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Along with other nasties.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/why-wood-burning-stoves-are-bad-for-you-and-the-environmentukk_5c3c5ce6e4b0e0baf53ef7f8

We had a log burner for 20 years after a few years I developed asthma, every autumn it would flare up on the same day the logs came in and the fire was lit. We lived in a hamlet, only oil and electricity. I do believe the log burner exacerbated, caused my asthma. There is evidence of this. We have now moved to a gas centrally heated home. OH wanted a log burner I vetoed it.