Wood burners may treble children’s exposure to pollution in homes, study finds

In some cases, pollution persisted overnight in children’s bedrooms as fires remained lit or smouldering with poor ventilation. Photograph: corners74/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Children living in homes with wood burners could be exposed to over three times more pollution than those in non-wood-burning homes. The results come from a study that looked at air pollution experienced by primary schoolchildren in Wales.

Fifty-three children from two primary schools in Anglesey (Ynys Môn) were given backpacks equipped with air pollution sensors. They took the packs home and carried them during their journeys to and from school.