Professor Stephen Holgate, prominent medical researcher and the Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on air quality, recently discussed wood stoves in a feature article in The BMJ.
Stephen Holgate pointed out that the growing popularity of wood stoves in the UK “poses a serious and under-recognised risk,” and that the toxic particles they emit affect every organ in the body. The risks affect people nearby who aren’t burning wood, as well as the wood stove users themselves.
Every time we open the door we let microparticles and other pollutants into the room, which takes up to six to eight hours to clear.
These repeated surges of pollution create a cumulative effect that especially poses a risk to children, whose lungs and other organs are still developing.
Said Holgate:
We know now that these particles are at least as toxic, if not more toxic, than those coming out of coal.
He also decried the lack of enforcement of current air quality regulations on wood burning and smoking chimneys, describing the current situation as “a disgrace.”
Ultimately, he would like to see wood stoves phased out in UK cities.
The full article is available on The BMJ website:
Borland S. Wood burning stoves should be phased out in UK cities, warns leading air pollution expert BMJ. 2026; 393:s860.
