Burning firewood at home in winters raising air pollution, premature deaths: Study

Burning firewood at home can be a major contributor to air pollution and premature deaths in winters, according to a study.
The study, published in the journal Science Advances, showed that residential wood burning comprises about 22 per cent of PM2.5 pollution in winter, making it one of the single largest sources of fine particle pollution during the coldest months.
The modelling study led by researchers from Northwestern University found that pollution from residential wood burning is associated with about 8,600 premature deaths per year in the US. They suggested using alternative appliances to heat homes instead of burning wood, which can have a big impact on fine particulate matter in the air — and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The study focussed on wood burning in homes, including emissions from wood-burning furnaces, boilers, fireplaces, and stoves.
Using a high-resolution atmospheric model, they simulated how pollution moves through the air. The model accounted for weather, wind, temperature, terrain, and atmospheric chemistry to estimate air quality over time.
“The team found that particulate matter from wood burning is particularly problematic in cities and suburban communities due to the combined effects of population density, emissions density, and atmospheric transport.
In many cities, smoke from surrounding suburbs drifts into more densely populated urban cores, which have limited wood-burning emissions. Even cities not typically associated with wood burning, such as those in warmer climates, can experience impacts from wood burning during cold snaps, recreational burning, and atmospheric transport.