A recent study makes it clear that burning wood exposes us to lead in our air.
In coverage of the research in The Guardian, the senior author of the study, Professor Richard Peltier, stated:
For the most part, wood burning produces significant amounts of particle air pollution, and a small but measurable fraction of this is a powerful neurotoxicant.
The US-based study covered 27 suburban and rural towns. The researchers found that when there were more particles in the air from wood burning, there was also more lead.
The evidence suggests that the lead is not coming from people burning waste wood, but from people burning regular firewood. As trees absorb nutrients from the soil, they also absorb pollutants such as lead. When the wood from the tree is burned, the lead is released back into the air.
Dr Gary Fuller, author of The Guardian article, noted that other research has also linked wood burning to airborne lead levels, including a study in rural Sweden that found higher lead levels in wood-burning homes compared to those that did not burn wood.
Study co-author Tricia Henegan was quoted in The Guardian:
The use of wood as an energy source is a relic of the past, one that should not be relived if given a choice. Although wood fuel use can feel nostalgic, it does have negative consequences on air quality, and therefore public health.
