14 DAY TRIAL // The smoke released from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves poses a significant health risk for the general population, say researchers who've recently had a chance to investigate the smoke's effects.
The team behind the new work says that a large number of people is using fireplaces and stoves to ward off winter. This has been done for centuries during the cold months, but that doesn't mean that it's a healthy habit. In fact, it may cause more adverse effects in addition to pollution.
According to the new conclusions, it would appear that burning wood releases air pollutants that can affect people's health directly. Inhaling these chemicals into the lungs could trigger the development of a wide array of medical conditions, the investigators found.
Their conclusions are published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Chemical Research in Toxicology, which is one of the 39 peer-reviewed magazines published by the American Chemical Society (ACS).
The thing about these particles is that they are so small they can't even be seen, so people don't really know when they're exposed to them.
In charge of the investigation were experts from the University of Copenhagen, in Denmark, who were led by professor Steffen Loft, PhD. The expert is based is the Head of Department of Environmental Health at the UC Institute of Public Health.
His team built the new study on previous researches, showing how inhaling particulate matter (air pollutant particles) can cause heart disease, asthma, bronchitis and other health problems.
The previous work was carried out on air pollutants generated by motor vehicle exhaust, coal-fired electric power plants, and other such sources. But the team says that the particular matter released by burning wood is equally as damaging.
Despite the habit being tremendously widespread, there are currently very little data on the effects of wood smoke particulate matter (WSPM). Simultaneously, millions of people inhale them every single day, as they cook or get warm near stoves and fireplaces.
The research team analyzed the air at specific locations in the Danish countryside, and determined that wood-burning stoves were releasing large amounts of dangerous chemicals, which have carcinogenic potential, Science Blog reports.