While traffic and industry are the focus of air pollution control for the past two decadesthe old issue of pollution from home heating has resurfaced.
Wood and coal burning homes in the UK are now producing more particulate air pollution than the vehicles on our roads. Operating figures shows that around 200,000 new stoves were sold in 2022.
The campaign group Mums for Lungs called for a ban on stove sales and a public health campaign, but government action is based on helping people burn better rather than not burning at all. Regulations remain rooted in the smoke control areas it was created in the 1950s with a focus on cleaner fuel, like dry woodand standards for new stoves.
Dr. James Heydon of the University of Nottingham performed a study on combustion to heat homes. He said: “The UK’s smoking control regulations are outdated, difficult to enforceand inadvertently promotes fire that causes pollution. We therefore decided to test whether a successful approach from the US could help fill the regulatory gap.”
Many parts of the US have enforceable ban on home heating with stoves and fireplaces when air pollution builds up over the area. It is credited reduction of wood burning pollution in the Seattle (Puget Sound) area by 10-20%. A scheme in California that banned the burning of household wood on the most polluted 100 days during the winter reduced hospital admissions for heart disease in people aged 65 and over.
Heydon and his team could not force action, but instead sought voluntary changes. Fifty Sheffield homes agreed to check a study website before lighting their fires. It issued green, amber and red warnings depending on local air pollution, along with reminders that even lighting a fire on a clear day would increase the area’s air pollution.
As a result, 74% of householders modified their behavior. Some users cited wanting to be a good citizen and concern for children’s health as reasons for not lighting a fire during a red alert. Others mentioned that they decided not to light a fire on lighter nights with amber warnings.
Heydon said: “Burning wood to heat homes is generally considered socially acceptable. Penalizing people for doing what they have long been encouraged to do is likely to face criticism and rejection.
“Instead, designing regulations that promote voluntary compliance encourages greater participation and builds trust. It allows for the creation of rules that people see as legitimate and are more willing to engage with, rather than through coercion.”
