Wood Stoves May reason Cancer, Heart Disease

A wood-burning stove in your home may be a huge source of heat during the cold winter, but new data shows that unseen particles produced by burning wood may cause cancer and heart disease, the Telegraph reported. Wood burning stoves are becoming several popular because of the rising price of oil, gas and electricity prices. But researchers at Copenhagen University in Denmark said that breathing in air around the stoves is the equal to inhaling car exhaust with the wood particles being little enough to breathe into the deepest parts of the lungs. "The particles that come from wood smoke can definitely cause fatal heart or lung disease. In human cells that were out to the particle, considerable DNA damage and mutation took place. “

“It was comparable to the effect of particles given off by traffic," said professor Steffen Loft, of the Department of Public Health at Copenhagen University. When scientists tested the wood burning particle on human cells in a laboratory, they found that the particle caused further cellular and DNA damage than air without the particles. "The full scale of the health risk is not now known," Loft said, “but said some people were previously feeling the impact, such as those suffering from asthma.” Loft emphasize that those who do own wood burning stoves should only use dry wood cut into little pieces, and make sure there is a good air flow in the room to minimize contact to particles.