THE

HEALTH

EFFECTS OF

WOOD

HEALTH

ISSUES

■ Although wood smoke conjures up fond memories of

sitting by a cozy fire, it is important to know that thecomponents of wood smoke and cigarette smoke arequite similar, and that many components of both arecarcinogenic. Wood smoke contains fine particulatematter, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, sulfur dioxideand various irritant gases such as nitrogen oxides thatcan scar the lungs. Wood smoke also containschemicals known or suspected to be carcinogens, suchas polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) anddioxin.1

■ Wood smoke interferes with normal lung development

in infants and children. It also increases children’s riskof lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis andpneumonia.2

■ Wood smoke exposure can depress the immune system

and damage the layer of cells in the lungs that protectand cleanse the airways.3

■ According to the Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA), toxic air pollutants are components of woodsmoke. Wood smoke can cause coughs, headaches, eye,and throat irritation in otherwise healthy people.4

■ For vulnerable populations, such as people with

asthma, chronic respiratory disease and those withcardiovascular disease, wood smoke is particularlyharmful — even short exposures can prove dangerous.5

■ The particles of wood smoke are extremely small and

therefore are not filtered out by the nose or the upperrespiratory system. Instead, these small particles endup deep in the lungs where they remain for months,causing structural damage and chemical changes. Woodsmoke’s carcinogenic chemicals adhere to these tinyparticles, which enter deep into the lungs.6

■ Recent studies show that fine particles that go deep

into the lungs increase the risk of heart attacks andstrokes. EPA warns that for people with heart disease,short- term exposures have been linked to heartattacks and arrhythmias. If you have heart disease,these tiny particles may cause you to experience chestpain, palpitations, shortness of breath, and fatigue.7

EXPOSURE

ISSUES

■ The particulate matter in wood smoke is so small that

windows and doors cannot keep it out— even thenewer energy-efficient weather-tight homes cannotkeep out wood smoke.8

■ The EPA estimates that a single fireplace operating for

an hour and burning 10 pounds of wood will generate4,300 times more PAHs than 30 cigarettes. PAHs arecarcinogenic.9

■ A study by the University of Washington in Seattle

showed that 50 to 70 percent of the outdoor levels ofwood smoke were entering homes that were notburning wood. EPA did a similar study in Boise, Idaho,with similar results.10

WHAT

OTHE

■ Iowa’s Supreme C

bodies do not havin smoke crossin

■ The State of Was

wood smoke. AccAgency, “generatneighborly, it’s ilfrom a person’s copacity for six codensities could reofficials. It is alwEveryone has a riyour fire is affectnuisance and sub

■ Many states have 

fireplaces and wopollution days. Cand many towns numbers to call t

WHAT

NEED

■ There is much w

from wood smoke chimneys should to protect neighbshould pass zoninState legislatures strengthen local hsmoke language sbasis with situatitheir neighbors’ sAir Agency has styour neighbor.”
ENVIRONME

North 

Phone (203

THE

EFF

WOO

EHHI BOARD

MEMBERS

SUSAN S. ADDISS, MPH, MURS. Past Commissioner of Health for

the State of Connecticut; Past President of the American Public HealthAssociation; Director of Health Education for Environment and HumanHealth, Inc.NANCY O. ALDERMAN, MES. President of Environment and HumanHealth, Inc.; Recipient of the CT Bar Association, Environmental LawSection’s, Clyde Fisher Award, and the New England Public HealthAssociation's Robert C. Huestis/Eric Mood Award for outstandingcontributions to public health in the environmental health area.D. BARRY

BOYD, M.D. Oncologist at Greenwich Hospital and Affiliate

Member of the Yale Cancer Center. Research areas includeenvironmental risk factors for cancer as well as cancer etiology, includingnutrition and the role of insulin and IGF in malignancy.RUSSELL L. BRENNEMAN, ESQ. Connecticut Environmental Lawyer; CoChair of the Connecticut League of Conservation; Former Chair of the

Connecticut Energy Advisory Board; Past President of the ConnecticutForest and Park Association.DAVID R. BROWN, SC.D. Public Health Toxicologist; Director of Public

Health Toxicology for Environment and Human Health, Inc.; PastChief of Environmental Epidemiology and Occupational Health, CTDepartment of Health; Adjunct Professor of Applied Ethics, FairfieldUniversity.MARK R. CULLEN, M.D. Professor of Medicine and Public Health,

Yale University School of Medicine; Director of Yale’s Occupational andEnvironmental Medicine Program and co-editor of the Textbook ofClinical Occupational and Environmental Medicine.ROBERT G. LACAMERA, M.D. Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Yale

University School of Medicine; Primary Care Pediatrician in NewHaven, Connecticut from 1956 to 1996, with a sub-specialty inchildren with disabilities.HUGH S. TAYLOR, M.D. Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics,

Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Department of Molecular,Cellular and Developmental Biology; Chief of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Yale University School ofMedicine.WILLIAM A. SEGRAVES, P

H.D. Assoc. Dean for Science Education, Yale

College; Research Scientist and Lecturer at Yale University Departmentof Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology with areas includingmolecular biology of hormone action in reproduction and development.JOHN P. WARGO, P

H.D. Professor of Risk Analysis and Environmental

Policy at Yale University’s School of Forestry and EnvironmentalStudies, and Professor of Political Science.

1 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

http://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/woodsmoke/healtheffects.html 

2 Washington State Department of Ecology; Air Quality Program

http://www.nwcleanair.org/pdf/aqPrograms/woodHeating/wood

SmokeandYourHealth.pdf

3 American Lung Association – Air Quality

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=23354

4 The Lung Association, Nova Scotia

http://www.ns.lung.ca/news/05-06-03.html

5 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the health effects

of wood smoke.

http://www.epa.gov/woodstoves/healtheffects.html

6 New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services –

Air Resources

http://www.des.state.nh.us/ard/smoke.htm

7 Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 113, No. 4, April 2005.

Weinhold, Bob. “The Heart of Toxicity: Details ofCardiovascular Damage Uncovered.”

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1278521

8 Wood Smoke Brochure. Vol. 113, No. 4, April 2005. 

http://www.burningissues.org

9 Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District –

Agenda, page 5.

http://airquality.org/bod/2005/MarParticulateMatterSB656Briefing.pdf

10 New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services – 

Air Resources

http://www.des.state.nh.us/ard/smoke.htm

11 Burning Issues – Wood Smoke Fact Sheet, March 1999

http://burningissues.org/simple-facts.htm

12 Washington State Department of Ecology – Air Division –

Under Washington Code 173-433-110

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/wac173433.pdf 

13 Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment 

http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/ap/woodhome.htmlUtah Department of Environmental Qualityhttp://www.deq.utah.gov/references/FactSheets/Red-Green_light_program.htmNew Mexico

http://www.cabq.gov/airquality/noburn.html

California http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.inversions

REFERENCES