Coughing. This #GivingTuesday, your donation means more than ever. You’ve been successfully subscribed to our newsletter! If a fireplace contains features to control the air-to-fuel ratio, it is considered a wood stove, and must be tested and approved as a wood stove. Thank you! United States Environmental Protection Agency, Basic Information Cleaner Burning Wood Stoves & Fireplaces, How-To Guide for Implementing a Wood Stove Changeout Campaign, Health, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change. EPA certified wood stoves burn more efficiently and cleanly. Many of these harmful emissions can occur both indoors and outdoors and many devices operate around the clock. Wood-burning stoves can help save you money on your heating bill, and burning wood as a heat source can be easier on the environment than gas or coal. No wood stove is 100% air tight, and the door gaskets and general sealing of the cast iron / steel / stone / ceramic parts may still leak some, but it still has to be better than a wood stove drawing combustion air directly from the indoor air. Look for alternatives to heat your home. Ensure a hotter, cleaner burning fire by using dried “seasoned” wood, particularly hard woods (maple, ash, oak, beech), which outperform softer pine and fir. For Air Quality Program Officials - Information to help tribal, state, and local air quality officials address wood burning emissions in their air quality planning. Find information on these heat sources for your home at www.energy.gov. Especially during high pollution days, burning can add pollution to the outdoor air. Those with lung conditions, children, older adults and others are especially at risk. But keep in mind that the wood-burning stove will need to be installed, and this can add thousands of dollars to the price of the stove. Recent evidence suggests that indoor air quality may improve in homes where older, non-certified wood stoves are exchanged for lower emissions EPA-certified alternatives. If wood-burning is affecting air quality in your neighborhood: Avoid burning wood, corn, switchgrass or other products to heat the home or water. Thank you! Wood stoves, hydronic heaters and other appliances are often used 24-hours a day, which can substantially worsen air quality outdoors. 2007. The results of replacement speak for themselves with improvements in the health of children and community, home safety, visibility, and indoor air quality. Some devices currently meet the 2020 standards and have hangtags showing this certification. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted new standards for wood-burning devices in 2015, but manufacturers will have until 2020 to phase them in and make their equipment cleaner and more energy efficient. People with lung disease face special risks, but so do children, older adults, people with cardiovascular disease and diabetics. Gas stoves are making people sick, contributing pollution that makes indoor air up to two to five times dirtier than outdoor air, according to a new report. Take the proper precautions when using your fireplace to protect indoor air quality: Choose the proper fuel. Your tax-deductible donation funds lung disease and lung cancer research, new treatments, lung health education, and more. Share your voice and advocate for policies that will save lives. Wood stoves, hydronic heaters and other appliances are often used 24-hours a day, which can substantially worsen air quality outdoors. Indoor wood and pellet furnaces: 2.5 grams/hour for catalytic furnaces 4.5 grams/hour for non-catalytic furnaces The Lung Association is working with some local communities to implement woodstove change-out programs to help residents upgrade to cleaner-burning, more energy-efficient heating appliances and technologies. More and more homes are shifting to alternatives such as solar panels and electric or geothermal heat pumps. Burning eyes. Learn more about Lung Association woodstove change-out programs. Our key findings add to the evidence that a changing climate is making it harder to protect human health. U.S. EPA. Our Tax ID is: 13‑1632524. To avoid these inevitable health risks — and gain the greater efficiency and effectiveness of new, cleaner burning technology wood stoves — it is recommended that old stoves be gradually replaced or “changed out.”. They are small enough to enter the lungs where they can cause bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, or other serious respiratory diseases. Yet residents of many communities in the U.S. still depend on wood-burning stoves in their home as a primary or significant source of heat. EPA has guidance to help communities put such program in place. Health organizations warn of the dangers of vaping. Test the fireplace at an EPA-certified lab using Washington's fireplace test method. Your support goes directly to our clean air and lung health initiatives, including ending COVID-19. The biggest health threat from wood smoke comes from fine particles (also called particulate matter). Emissions from wood smoke, discussed below, can cause coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, and premature death, among other health effects.1 Many of these pollutants can worsen air quality indoors and outdoors. Smoke is made up of a complex mixture of gases and fine, microscopic particles produced when wood and other organic matter burn. If you must burn a fuel to heat your home or water, natural gas stoves and heaters have lower particle pollution emissions than wood-burning devices. Take the quiz to see if you should get screened. If you smoked, low dose CT screening could save your life. February 2015. The American Lung Association is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. However, they need to be fully vented to the outdoors as they also produced some of the same pollutants indoors and out, including carbon monoxide. If these are chronic problems for you, indoor air pollution could be to blame. Wood smoke Health Effects: A Review. Read our simple and effective tips for protecting you and your family from the dangers of air pollution. An official website of the United States government. If you decide to burn wood, then look for the cleanest burning devices. As COVID-19 cases surge across U.S., get answers to important questions: Lung.org/covid19-faq. Stuffy nose. Recent evidence suggests that indoor air quality may improve in homes where older, non-certified wood stoves are exchanged for lower emissions EPA-certified alternatives. Burning wood produces emissions that are widely recognized as harmful to human health. But keep in mind that the wood-burning stove will need to be installed, and this can add thousands of dollars to the price of the stove. ft. Wood-Burning Stove. Certified stoves use about one-third as much wood and circulate more heat into the home instead of out the flue. Fine particles can also aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases, and are linked to premature deaths in people with these chronic conditions. For a high-quality wood stove that will … Talk to our experts at the American Lung Association Lung HelpLine and Tobacco QuitLine. Our service is free and we are here to help you. These stoves are considered the most efficient stoves available with efficiency ratings exceeding 80%. Wood-burning stoves can help save you money on your heating bill, and burning wood as a heat source can be easier on the environment than gas or coal. Changing out wood stoves requires a financial investment; however, there are programs that provide financial assistance and manufacturers that provide discounts. Join over 500,000 people who receive the latest news about lung health, including COVID-19, research, air quality, inspiring stories and resources. Inhalation Toxicology. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Stop smoking for good - don't switch to vaping. Best Overall: Englander 1,800 sq. Never burn wet, painted, or treated wood. ... Is your wood stove choking you? This website uses cookies to improve content delivery. For tips on burning wood, see tips at the EPA's Burn Wise information. 19:67-106. How indoor fires are suffocating cities ... which plans to release an air quality … Select your location to view local American Lung Association events and news near you. A wood stove emits more harmful air particulates than a diesel truck. Smoke from residential wood heaters contains pollutants that can worsen indoor and outdoor air quality and cause harmful health effects, both long and short term. Naeher LP, Brauer M, Lipsett M, Zelikoff JT, Simpson CD, Koenig JQ, Smith KR. Cleaning Supplies and Household Chemicals, Health Professionals for Clean Air and Climate Action, State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI), Road to Clean Air - Electric Vehicle Report, Learn more about Lung Association woodstove change-out programs, Controlling Air Pollution from Residential Wood Heaters. Don’t neglect routine maintenance. Strategies for Reducing Residential Wood Smoke, March 2013, EPA-456/B-13-001. Install a wood pellet stove, which uses compressed wood waste. 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