What You Need To Know About Wood Burning Stoves And Heaters?

As the weather gets colder, the idea of curling up in front of a roaring fire with a cup of hot cocoa becomes more and more appealing. While indoor wood-burning stoves and heaters may give off a quaint, traditional feel, they also produce harmful toxins that can harm your lungs and affect air quality.
That's why it's important to understand how wood-burning devices work and how to protect your family's lungs before you throw another log on the fire:

cast iron wood burning fire place

Health Effects of Wood Smoke
Smoke from wood-burning devices such as stoves and heaters contains particulate pollution and hazardous air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, benzene nitrogen oxides, and formaldehyde. Particulate pollution is especially dangerous because these tiny particles penetrate deep into the organs, harming not only the lungs but also the blood vessels, heart and brain. Wood smoke can cause coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks, and lead to serious health problems such as heart attacks, strokes and premature death. Wood smoke also increases carbon dioxide and methane in the air, both of which contribute significantly to climate change.

Outdoor pollution from wood smoke
Wood-burning stoves often run 24 hours a day, releasing wood smoke and toxins into the outdoor air. If a wood-burning stove or heater is affecting the air around you, take steps to protect your family: encourage children, the elderly, and people with lung disease to stay indoors; use the recirculation feature on your air conditioner; and close windows and vents.

cast iron multi fuel log burner

Finding Wood Alternatives
To reduce indoor and outdoor pollution from wood-burning appliances, switch to cleaner appliances such as natural gas stoves and heaters, and make sure they are fully vented to the outdoors. If you can't make the switch, you can use pellet fuel and dry hardwood for a cleaner, more efficient burn. You can also purchase cleaner wood-burning devices. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted new standards for cleaner, more energy-efficient wood-burning devices in 2015. Many devices are now meeting the 2020 standards and have hang tags showing this certification.

Retrofit your wood heaters and furnaces this winter so you and your lungs can enjoy a cozy night in.