Study exposes health burden from wood heating

A new study by the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Safe Air estimates that smoke from wood heaters causes hundreds – if not thousands – of premature deaths in Australia every year.

With its low population density, tree-lined city streets, and relatively modern industry and transport, Australia is known for having fresh outdoor air compared to the rest of the world. Indeed, the 2024 World Air Quality Report found that Australia is one of just 12 regions around the world where air quality meets acceptable standards.

However, the increasing use of wood heaters during winter across southern Australia has become a bigger source of air pollution than vehicles, power generation, and even bushfires.

Hidden health crisis

The study examined data from 2015 to model how fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wood heater smoke is affecting Australian health.

The results were shocking; the study estimated that 728 people in Australia died prematurely from wood burner smoke exposure in 2015. Annually, the study estimates that between 558 and 1,555 people in Australia die from this cause, placing a multi-billion dollar burden on the nation’s health system.

Pinpointing the problem

The study also cross-referenced PM2.5 levels with surveys into wood heater use to map out the major hotspots for smoke exposure in Australia.

Unsurprisingly, the country’s colder southern regions – and especially regional areas – generate the most smoke from wood burners, with Hobart having the densest smoke issue, closely followed by pockets of South Australia and highland regions of New South Wales.

However, while raw smoke levels might be higher in the country, it’s the capital cities that bear the brunt of the health burden. With houses more densely packed together, a handful of wood burners in a neighbourhood can generate enough PM2.5 to cause health problems for residents, even if the smoke isn’t thick enough to see or smell.

Burning sensation

Counterintuitively, the Australian city with the biggest health burden from wood burner smoke is one we don’t normally associate with cold weather: Sydney. In the Inner West and Paramatta regions, the study found 8.6 premature deaths per 100,000 people caused by wood burner smoke.

There’s a fascinating natural explanation for this: the local topography forms a “basin” where smoke can easily get trapped, meaning that even if it wasn’t generated in that region, it can cause damage there. The same applies in the Tasmanian city of Launceston, which sees 6.13 deaths per 100,000 people from wood burner smoke.

Push for cleaner heating  

The solution, according to the study’s authors, is clear: shifting from wood burner heaters to cleaner forms of heating, such as split system air conditioners and electric heaters.

The study estimated that replacing half of Australia’s wood heaters with cleaner technologies that generate low or zero emissions would save between 303 and 364 lives per year, while also reducing annual health spending by between $1.61 and $1.93 billion.

---