HIGHLIGHTING DANGER OF WOODBURNERS

[GlassHouseBlue]

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) -
essentially tiny particles of soot - is one
of the most dangerous air pollutants.
Breathing it in is linked to lung cancer,
heart damage, strokes, impaired cognition
and mental health problems, and can
exacerbate conditions such as asthma,
COPD and pulmonary fibrosis. Children
and elderly people are most vulnerable

I've been having a look at the PP's claim. I reckon that what I recently paid for some seasoned hardwood from a local farm is roughly at parity with the gas unit rate (never mind the rip-off that is the standing charge).

Hang on, is that link trying to claim that wood costs £2k a year (not counting purchase and installation of the stove)? Is that for heating Buckingham Palace? I spend about a tenth of that, plus whatever the sweep charges (it's a two-figure sum).

You can pay silly fortunes for wood, but it's a abundant material. If you know how to treat and store it, if you know how to salvage it, it's pretty much free.

The peeps trying to insist that wood burners are the worst thing on earth will pretend that wood costs more by the tonne raw than it does nicely polished as chippendale furniture.

The fact is that wood stoves are an effective low cost heat source.

Nope, nothing went over my head. I read your comments. You assumed a lot about me though. Anyway, it's always worth a second, or third, look over things. I'm sorry your friend is cold - I had GCH where I came from before here, so it's taken me a while to get used to the electric storage heaters (ancient ones first, which all died, now newer ones, which are better). Presuming she's looked at different tariffs too, every so often?

Even further north (I imagine) - all electric for us.

I live on a renote island too.
We're all electric.

I think it is a complete scandal that Scottish Island cannot access cheap electricity though wind power given that they produce a lot of it.

Thank you for trying to raise this issue OP. I have an asthmatic child whose asthma is exacerbated by open fires/wood burners.
I had no idea how polluting they were previously (more than traffic)and remember loving open fires and cosy log burners etc.
We now cannot go anywhere with one in the house. 2 winters ago our terraced neighbour installed 2 in their house. I know they are impacting my child's health(and potentially all of the rest of my family's too), but there is nothing I can do(other than move).
I'm sure with time the social conscience will shift and they will be seen as socially unacceptable. All the evidence about their harm is there(the OP is not exaggerating (look at any reputable health/science website), they just don't make it into the news enough/political discussion enough, so people don't realise how harmful they are. I genuinely had no idea.
I understand there will be people who just don't care, and people who rely on them for heat and dont have the means options to do something different. However, I am certain if it was more widely known how polluting they are, there would be people who reconsider their decision to install one.

I (I assume), like the OP, read the thread this week where people posted pictures of their log burners and it made me depressed that in such a generally knowledgeable community such as mumsnet, people had so little awareness about log burners as polluters of our air(or didnt care).

Yes, it is!
Some (rich) folk have their own windmills.

🤣🤣🤣

While Mums For Lungs have some admirable aims to raise awareness and reduce pollution, the way they go about it is so very wrong and disrespectful.
I'm close to a charity doing good environmental work who Mums For Lungs chose to start campaigning against, wrote to funders and turned up at unrelated online events to make the exact same statements as the OP of this thread.
The charity took time to consult and consider and wrote back, only to be ignored by the organisation Mums For Lungs.
In my view they are a quite nasty organisation who judge others from a middle class place of privilege.

No life expectancy was not 20 to 30 years old, where on earth have you got that from!

Yes our sweep is £50 a sweep and we do two sweeps a year, our wood is a couple of hundred although we're still working through my parents chestnut tree from some years ago. last of it this year I think

THERE IS NO GAS IN THE VILLAGE AND IT IS SNOWING MARGARET.

So for those of you advocating electricity as an alternative to wood burning stoves:
what happens in a power cut? A five day power cut in December when the temperatures plummet to minus fifteen overnight? And frozen or snow blocked roads? At least with a wood burner you have heat AND the means of heating a tin of something (because you can't risk opening the fridge or freezer) or water for a hot drink.

The reality of the potentially life saving advantages of a wood burner in a rural environment cannot be overemphasized.

Ancient Times Through Pre-Industrial Times
EraYearsAverage Life Expectancy
Neolithic Age
10,000-4500 BC
28-33 years
Bronze Age
3300-1200 BC
28-38 years
Ancient Greece and Rome
510-330 BC
20-35 years
Early Middle Ages
476-1000 AD
31 years

And: women often younger, dying in childbirth

@Edwina8320 I'm sorry to hear about your child.

Yes I hope some good comes from this, I'm glad to have highlighted the dangers of wood burners and wood burning.

A little like smoking people will know the dangers but carry on, those we cannot change.

That is a necessity for you and no alternative? Those who live in cities and towns with access to clean fuels and able to hear their houses then they use gas/electric. They don't need a wood burner like you. You needing a wood burner doesn't stop it being dangerous but if you have no alternative then you make that choice.

This is a misconception I feel for those who live around you and having to breathe in the fumes you're creating.

What has intrigued me is the anger this has created amongst those that advocate wood burners. Is it because the dangers are known and clear, is it because scientific papers have been shared on here highlighting the dangers? Is it because medical professionals have commented on their negative impact?

I think it’s hit a nerve. No one is saying a log burner isn’t cosy. But the bottom line is they are pollutants. Granted, one of many, but they have a negative impact that’s clearly known and ignored by many. In the UK, domestic wood burning is now the single largest contributor to small particle pollution (PM2.5), responsible for 27% of emissions—more than road traffic. Studies have shown that the fine particles emitted can penetrate deep into the lungs, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular issues. Furthermore, urban areas where wood burning is common have reported spikes in air pollution, worsening health inequalities.

Perhaps it’s time we asked ourselves: is the warmth worth the cost to our health and environment?

Bad science.

Better get rid of toasters, frying pans, ovens, candles and incense sticks whilst you're at it 👍

I absolutely agree OP

I find it staggering that people try to play the facts down whilst pretending to be eco consoius driving a leccy car. It is bizzare behaviour bourne out of ignorance

Ive got lung disease and would not purchase a house if i knew of someone close by who had one of these monstrosities. My respiratory consultant talks about log burners a lot and tells me that theres been a huge rise in lung cancers

It is worse than smoking as at least with smoking it affects you and those in yoru near vacinity - with log burners you are affecting the whole communtiy

I would feel embarrased admitting to having one of these

Perhaps it’s time we asked ourselves: is the warmth worth the cost to our health and environment?

Do you think sitting in a damp, mouldy house is good for people's health then? Wearing damp clothes, sitting in rooms with mould growing on the walls? Because that's the alternative for man people.

A few winters ago, we lost power for about five days in the middle of a snow storm - blocked roads and all - do some posters on here genuinely think we should have just sat there and frozen?