Doctors and Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution
@dsawsp.org
We are an international coalition dedicated to reducing harm to human health and our climate by decreasing wood burning. www.dsawsp.org
“If the ACT Government is serious about tackling climate change, why does its strategy largely ignore one of the problem’s most significant contributors, asks letter writer Darryl Johnston.”
Climate strategy doesn't confront wood heaters | Canberra CityNews
If the ACT Government is serious about tackling climate change, why does its strategy largely ignore one of the problem's most significant contributors, asks letter writer DARRYL JOHNSTON.
citynews.com.au
Despite the heatwaves and drought, you may be thinking of installing a #WoodBurning stove ahead of winter...watch this first 👇. We teamed up with researcher Dr Mathy Sannasi and @niftyfoxcreative.bsky.social to create a short animation showing what happens when we burn wood and solid fuels at home.
Do you know the hidden cost of wood burning?
ResearcherDrMathySannasiandgrassrootsairpollutioncampaigngroupMumsforLungshavecreatedthisshortanimationonwhathappenswhenwoodorsolidfuelisburntinastoveoropenfireplace.Beforeyoustartburningorconsiderins...
gumlet.tv
Great article about residential wood burning and wood smoke pollution by a Canadian journalist whose focus is on sustainability. (With an included kind mention of DSAWSP.)
Where there's smoke, there's a health hazard for homeowners
Woodburning is a major source of harmful pollution in many communities, yet there is critical lack of awareness about this serious health and environmental issue.
torontosun.com
“One of the most significant—and least publicly understood—sources [of air pollution in the Hudson Valley] is wood smoke. That revelation is difficult for many people to accept…”
What's Polluting the Hudson Valley's Air?
The Hudson Valley has long been known for its fresh air. Until the air changes. Air pollution does not always arrive as an orange sky. It can come from traffic, industry, cooking, a neighbor’s woodsto...
chronogram.com
“The bad news is, there’s no safe level of inhaled particles from wildfire smoke… even at levels below the national safety standards, these particles can make people sick. Any amount of inhaled particles will trigger inflammatory responses in the body.” www.reuters.com/business/env...
The serious health risks posed by wildfire smoke
Massive wildfires are raging around the world during unprecedented heatwaves, blanketing millions of people under pungent haze caused by smoke carrying noxious gases and particulate matter that pose s...
reuters.com
“Burning stuff has been killing us forever, we just haven’t been paying attention.”
Lloyd Alter@lloydalter.bsky.social · 3w agoThe smoke from the wildfires is rolling in, and the air quality is deteriorating. Last year, I wrote about how dangerous PM2.5 particulates are and how governments downplay this because they come from burning stuff like fossil fuels as well as forests.
If you are affected by someone else’s wood burning, you are not alone. This problem is widespread, and it is often severe for those experiencing it.
Personal wood smoke stories
Personal stories from neighbors of wood-burning households describing how wood smoke pollution has affected their lives.
dsawsp.org
Dr Erika Moseson, quoted in this Lung Association piece, has elsewhere also spoken out about the impact of residential wood burning. www.dsawsp.org/health/real-...
Families for Clean Air@healthyair.bsky.social · 4w ago
Its outrageous this is permitted in the ULEZ but in this extreme heat there's no doubt this level of #AirPollution could kill vulnerable residents.The air for local shoppers was thick with toxic fumes, we were struggling to breathe! @mayoroflondon.bsky.social @eddavey.libdems.org.uk @dsawsp.org
New post from Dr. Brian Moench: www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/02/a...
Adding Fuel to the Fire: The Forest Service’s Fuel Reduction Strategy
Most of the West’s perennial wildfire plague is due to human stupidity. But it’s not just the careless people who start the fires, it’s also all the
counterpunch.org
“No one should have to fight to breathe in their own home or community.” — Asthma Australia spokesperson Dr Chris Pearce
Wood heater smoke blamed for hundreds of premature deaths - Allergy & Respiratory Republic
Asthma Australia has responded to the news with a call to action on the sale and installation of new wood heaters.
puffnstuff.com.au
Wood smoke particles enter homes from outside, even when windows are closed.
“In areas of northern Italy, residential wood combustion is one of the main sources of benzo[a]pyrene. It is typically attached to tiny particles suspended in the air that we can breathe into our lungs. It is highly toxic and carcinogenic.”
Families for Clean Air@healthyair.bsky.social · last mo.“…these researchers found that any amount of PM2.5 from smoke was associated with higher rates of death.” www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...
Voices: It’s time to rethink our messaging around wildfire smoke and air quality
“As we begin the 2026 wildfire season, we should rethink our public health messaging,” writes Brenna Kelly in an op-ed.
sltrib.com
What has someone else’s wood burning taken from you? Share your story and read others’ here: www.dsawsp.org/personal-sto...
“…with no enforcement action taken”—same old story, whether in an SCA or not.
Families for Clean Air@healthyair.bsky.social · 2mo agoMasterton, New Zealand has a big wood smoke pollution problem. A new report finds that the health-related costs of this pollution, including the economic impacts of premature deaths, comes out to around NZ$6,000 per resident.
Clean air goal will take decades
So far this year, the air quality guideline for PM2.5 has been exceeded 29 times in Masterton.
thepost.co.nz
You don’t have to see wood smoke to be harmed by it.
“Air pollution is the leading environmental risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”
Eric Topol@erictopol.bsky.social · 2mo agoChronic air pollution exposure (even moderate) and more advanced coronary artery disease pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/...
The Medical Journal of Australia’s InSight Plus has published an article about Asthma Australia’s recommendation to phase out wood heaters. “We want people to understand that woodfire smoke doesn’t just affect the household using it — it impacts neighbours and entire communities.”
Woodfire heaters must be phased out, says Asthma Australia
The harmful effects of woodfire heater smoke are coming under increased scrutiny, with Asthma Australia calling for a national approach from governments…
insightplus.mja.com.au
Letter just published in The British Medical Journal by Dr. Brian Moench: www.bmj.com/content/393/...
bmj.com
The ASA disregarded 2 peer-reviewed studies and a “memorandum of scientific support from an academic who specialised in air pollution, which stated agreement with the messaging in the ad campaign, and that the results were consistent with the burning of wood and solid fuel.” (From ASA’s statement.)
Families for Clean Air@healthyair.bsky.social · 2mo agoNote: Numerous source apportionment studies in other areas HAVE definitely attributed the elevated winter particle pollution levels in winter to domestic wood burning. www.bbc.com/news/article...
iceds.anu.edu.au/news-events/...
In 1939, a Royal Commission found burning forests leads to more bushfires. But this cycle of destruction can be stopped
Every year, government workers around Australia start fires in the bush. The idea behind these prescribed burning programs is that removing dry leaves and branches reduces the chance of bigger, more d...
iceds.anu.edu.au
