As of: March 26, 2024, 12:39 p.m
By: Amy Walker
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Interest in wood heating has increased, particularly due to the energy crisis.
But experts have been warning about the health risks for years.
A new study confirms the concerns.
Berlin – Who doesn't like to sit in front of a wood-burning fireplace and let the warmth of the fire really heat you up?
For many people, having a wood stove at home is simply part of the comfort factor.
Traditionally, wood was of course one of the most important sources of heating and is still used for cooking in some places.
But for years there have been increasing reports about the health risks posed by the particles blown into the air when burning wood.
That's why there are now strict limits for wood-burning fireplaces and tiled stoves in Germany.
But now scientists are causing a stir again with a study: According to this, the risk of cancer increases significantly in places where a lot of wood is burned.
Millions of people in Germany heat with wood
There are eleven million fireplaces and tiled stoves in Germany, and another million pellet heating systems.
The Federal Environment Agency therefore provides extensive information on its website about the correct procedure for burning wood in order to minimize the health and environmental consequences.
“In addition to greenhouse gases, the burning of wood also produces health-threatening air pollutants such as dust, organic hydrocarbons such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and soot,” says the UBA.
The page goes on to say about PAHs: “They are odorous pollutants that can be perceived through our nose.
Some of these PAHs are carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or reproductive toxicants.”
And it is precisely these PAHs that scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) found in their recent investigation in Saxony.
The researchers spent a year analyzing the air quality in the village of Melpitz in Saxony in two places: once in the village center and once outside the village in the surrounding fields.
In the village with 63 households, 33 percent of those surveyed* stated that they would permanently heat with wood, 35 percent use oil, eleven percent use LPG, seven percent use coal and 14 percent stated that they use emission-free heating systems.
(*46 percent of households responded to the researchers' survey. So there was no data for the remaining 54 percent.)
A wood-burning fireplace is cozy and cozy.
But it carries great dangers.
© YAY Images/Imago
The authors of the study conclude that the impact of emissions from wood burning has so far been underestimated.
There is a “significant excess” of fine dust particles in the air in the village center compared to the surrounding area.
Because wood heating systems have become more popular in recent years, especially because they are listed as a climate-friendly alternative to oil and gas, scientists are worried about a serious increase in harmful particles across the country.
The danger posed by PAHs in the air is “about half as high as that caused by traffic accidents”.
The study authors also write that there must be further, longer-term studies in order to be able to assess the long-term risk more precisely.
“Everyone is affected”: Air pollution from wood heating is significant
Study author Dominik van Pinxteren from TROPOS told the British newspaper
The Guardian
: “Heating with wood in private households can lead to significant air pollution, even in small villages.
The emissions take place where people live.
Everyone – from young to old – is inevitably affected because we all breathe the same air.” However, these emissions are currently not being adequately monitored by official bodies, he continues.
Van Pinxteren is certain that the situation in Melpitz could probably be reproduced in many places.
Similar studies in Slovenia and Ireland have already shown this.
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In the conclusion of the TROPOS study, the authors write that measures should be taken to further reduce emissions from wood heating.
This should be made possible both through legal regulations and through technical developments, such as better fine dust filters.
Since the beginning of 2023, there has also been a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of the damage that can be caused by wood heating.
“The more harmful particulate matter pollution you are exposed to, the more likely you are to die from heart or lung disease or lung cancer.
It can also cause diabetes, affect your brain health and lead to dementia, and affect unborn children,” the Clean Air Hub website says.
In Germany, the legal regulations for wood stoves are already strict - and will be tightened again this year.
By the end of 2024, older wood heating systems in particular will be required to be retrofitted in order to significantly reduce fine dust pollution.
The obligation to retrofit or decommission applies to ovens that were put into operation between January 1995 and March 21, 2010.