Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative
Smoke from wood stoves is contributing to air pollution and poses widespread health risks both in and out of homes.
Image Credit: Rochelle Baker, Local Journalism Initiative January 14, 2021 - 6:00 AM If the stereotype associated with country living holds fast, folks in Canada’s small towns and rural communities should be relishing the benefits of fresh, clean air. But rather the opposite is true, said Michael Mehta, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Many rural residents’ health is at significant risk due to high levels of airborne pollutants from wood-burning stoves, both indoors and out, said Mehta, who specializes in environmental and health risk issues.
Smoke from wood stoves is contributing to air pollution and poses widespread health risks both in and out of homes. If the stereotype associated with country living holds fast, folks in Canada’s small towns and rural communities should be relishing the benefits of fresh, clean air. But rather the opposite is true, said Michael Mehta, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. Many rural residents’ health is at significant risk due to high levels of airborne pollutants from wood-burning stoves, both indoors and out, said Mehta, who specializes in environmental and health risk issues.
As far as climate change and human health are concerned, no wood stove is the best wood stove, according to some experts.
The negative impacts to human health associated with particulate matter emitted from residential wood stoves aren t disputed, said Michael Mehta, a professor of geography and environmental studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C.
Yet, the myth persists that wood-burning as a residential heat source, particularly in rural areas or smaller communities, is natural and green, said Mehta, a specialist in environmental and health risk issues.
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