Deutsche Version

A crackling log fire on a cold winter day can provide comfortable warmth and promote the well-being. Although, the emissions of wood combustion are low only at certain conditions. Wood combustion produces nitrogen and sulfur oxides, for example. In addition, dust gets into the air at 90 percent in terms of particulate matter.
Hazardous air pollutants may evolve, if combustion is not at an optimal level and if inadequate fuel wood is used. Incomplete combustion generates carbon monoxide and methane gas, but also organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can affect the air quality. Wood treated with wood preservatives or paint must not be burned, because in doing so highly toxic dioxins and furans may be produced.

The brochure "Heating with wood" of the Federal Environmental Office is providing advice on proper heating:

• When heating up the wood stove, it is important to achieve high temperatures as quickly as possible. This is best done with dried, thinly chopped wood and Wooden Firelighter at merchantable quality. In this phase you have to provide sufficient combustion air.
• Make sure the air intake is not set too low. Just look in your manual. The air supply is properly adjusted, if the interior of the oven will stay bright and no black soot will deposit there.
• Once there is sufficient embers, you can put bigger logs of wood on the fire. When the oven is bulging with logs, emission of combustion gases is favoured. In this case the logs combust incomplete and pollutants emerge. In addition, your furnace may be damaged. Thus, do not overload your heating system. It is better to put small amounts of logs on the fire, frequently. Likewise, the size of the logs matters. Logs which are too large result in a significant increase of emissions. Refer to the instruction manual in this matter, too.

Further information

Brochure "Heating with wood" of the Federal Environmental Office
Flyer provided by Tübingen  "Heizen mit Holz - gesund und umweltverträglich" 
Study on particle exposures and endothelial function among healthy adults in a woodsmoke-impacted community

Update 04/2011