Wood-Burning Stoves Add to Winter Air Pollution and Health Threats

Burning wood is charming and cheap, but the smoke is a killer

Wood smoke may smell good, but it can also trigger asthma, allergies, and heart attacks. Thomas Oswald/Shutterstock

It may be natural, but there’s little that is safe or environmentally sound about heating your home with wood.

The World Health Organization has ranked air pollution and climate change as the top health threat for 2019. One in nine deaths around the world is due to air pollution.