A new study across six European towns and cities suggests that children's exposure to pollutants from home wood-burning could be as significant as exposure to traffic exhaust. Scientists measured polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in buildings where children spend time, including schools, sports centres, and homes.
Dr Barend van Drooge, senior author from Barcelona’s Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), noted that some PAH compounds are linked to cancers after prolonged exposure and evidence suggests they can delay cognitive development. Measurements were taken in and around Athens, Barcelona, Colchester, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Lisbon.
Urban areas with wood-burning, such as Colchester and Athens, exhibited the highest PAH levels, while Barcelona and Lisbon, where wood-burning is not practised, had the lowest. In Colchester and Athens, PAH exposure surpassed World Health Organization guidelines.
Sports centres generally had the lowest concentrations of PAH, followed by schools. Homes in areas with wood-burning, particularly those with open fireplaces and stoves, showed some of the greatest PAH levels. Winter PAH concentrations were also found to be higher than in summer.
Separate analysis in the UK indicates that Colchester ranked 120th out of 333 local councils for the density of wood burners per square kilometre. Other towns like Worthing, Norwich, and Reading had approximately four times more wood burners.