Millions of Britons owning wood-burning stoves have recently been alerted to new research suggesting these cozy appliances could damage lungs in a manner similar to cigarette smoke. A study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam tracked thousands of individuals over eight years, revealing that stove users experienced a faster decline in lung capacity compared to non-users. These findings emerge amidst increasing calls from clean-air campaigners to prohibit stoves in densely populated areas, initially backed by Government figures that indicated domestic burning produced more harmful emissions than road traffic.

However, a report from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) this year indicates a shift in this dynamic, with domestic combustion emissions now falling behind those from traffic. Despite regulations introduced in 2021, which legally require households in Smoke Control Areas (covering most major cities) to use only approved fuels and low-emission stoves, breaches are infrequent, with only four fines issued across England last year despite over 5,000 complaints. With approximately two million UK households utilizing wood burners, this research naturally raises critical questions about their associated risks and measures families can take for protection.

Further compounding these concerns, a new study has established a link between high levels of air pollution and the exacerbation of symptoms for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), a dangerous sleep condition that increases the risk of heart attacks. OSA is characterized by repeated breathing cessations during sleep, caused by temporary relaxation of tongue and soft palate muscles blocking the airway. Symptoms include loud snoring, gasping, choking sounds, frequent awakenings, and daytime fatigue, concentration issues, mood swings, and morning headaches. The Sleep Apnoea Trust estimates up to 10 million people in the UK may suffer from some form of OSA, with obesity being a primary factor.

The new research connects OSA to particulate matter pollution, specifically PM10 – tiny particles emitted by vehicle exhausts, industrial processes, and the burning of solid fuels, including wood-burning stoves. Italian researchers examined 19,325 OSA patients from 14 countries, correlating their condition with PM10 levels. They discovered that every unit increase in the pollutant led to an increase in patients' Apnoea Hypopnea Index (AHI), which quantifies complete breathing pauses and partial breathing reductions per hour of sleep. A higher AHI signifies more severe OSA. Patients with a low AHI (less than five) lived in areas with an average PM10 level of approximately 16 µg/m³, whereas those with a high AHI (five or more) lived in areas with higher average PM10 levels, around 19 µg/m³.

Professor Martino Pengo from the University of Bicocca highlighted the significance of these findings: