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With the arrival of cooler weather, millions of Canadians will light their woodstoves and fireplaces to keep out winter's chill. It may seem like a simple way to relax and add warmth to your home, but wood burning comes with serious health risks.

Burning wood – whether in a woodstove or in a fireplace – releases pollutants into the air we breathe. Poor burning methods and inefficient wood-burning appliances make the problem even worse.

A cocktail of harmful pollutants

Wood smoke includes a mix of harmful gases and fine liquid and solid particles (particulate matter) that float in the air. When breathed in, these fine particles can become trapped deep in the lungs. Exposure to these particles can cause breathing problems even at low levels.

Breathing the pollutants from wood smoke can cause a number of health problems:

• Lung infections

"Everyone can learn to burn wood more cleanly."

• Coughs
• Headaches
• Eye and throat irritation
• Runny nose
• Asthma attacks
• Weaker immune system
• Increased risk for chronic bronchitis

Children, seniors and people with existing lung diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD, including bronchitis and emphysema) are at even greater risk for developing breathing problems due to wood smoke exposure.

Be good to your neighbour

Alison Howells, Director of Environmental Initiatives for the New Brunswick Lung Association, says that often it is your neighbours who are breathing in the smoke curling out of your chimney. In other words, "burning wood not only affects your health, but it also pollutes the air of those living in your community." Still, she concedes that for people living in rural areas wood burning is often a main source of home heating. And despite what we know about the health effects of wood burning, the practice has a long tradition among many Canadian families.

Ms. Howells says wherever possible people should seek alternatives to wood burning. If you have no other heating options than wood or choose to burn wood for comfort, you can still do many things to burn more safely and cleanly. Ms. Howells says education is the key: "Everyone can learn to burn wood more cleanly." The following steps can help reduce the health risks of burning wood:

Check your chimney Have the chimney inspected and cleaned regularly by a certified chimney sweep. This will remove dangerous creosote (a by-product of wood smoke that can build up within the smoke pipe and chimney and then catch fire). Have your chimney inspected at least once a year by a Wood Energy Technical Training (WETT) professional or, in Quebec, by the Association des professionnels du chauffage (APC). These certified installers and chimney sweeps have undergone a careful training program that is recognized by the industry and by government. Choose a good stove or fireplace Replace your existing stove or fireplace insert with a new-technology appliance. Look for stoves that are certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a standard that is accepted in Canada. These advanced appliances burn the smoke inside the stove, resulting in less air pollution with the added benefits of more heat to your home and increased safety. Hire a WETT certified professional to install the stove or fireplace. What to burn Always use dry, seasoned wood that has been split properly. "Green" or wet wood does not burn well, and produces more smoke. Store split wood outside off the ground, with the top covered. (Storing wood indoors can bring harmful mould spores into the home.) Build small, hot fires instead of large smoky ones. What NOT to burn Don't use your fireplace or wood-burning stove to burn cardboard, wrapping paper or garbage, which give off toxic chemicals as they burn. Never burn painted or treated wood, ocean driftwood, particle-board or plywood, which give off toxic chemicals as they burn. Cleaning Regularly clean ashes away from your woodstove or fireplace. Store ashes outside in a covered metal container to avoid fire risk. Safety Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Be sure to test them regularly to make sure they are in good working order. Install a fire extinguisher near your woodstove or fireplace in case of an emergency.