Smoke from residential wood heaters contains pollutants that can worsen indoor and outdoor air quality and cause harmful health effects, both long and short term. Those with lung conditions, children, older adults and others are especially at risk. Yet residents of many communities in the U.S. still depend on wood-burning stoves in their home as a primary or significant source of heat.
The Lung Association is working with local communities to implement woodstove change-out programs to help residents upgrade to cleaner-burning, more energy-efficient heating appliances and technologies.
New wood, natural gas and pellet stoves are much more efficient and are regulated by the EPA to control emissions. A stove bought today is much cleaner-burning and releases fewer harmful air pollutants and carcinogens. By upgrading, residents can:
- Improve local air quality indoors and out
- Warm homes for less money
- Cut creosote build-up in chimney and reduce the risk of fire
- Improve family lung health by reducing indoor air pollution by 70 percent
- Support the local economy
Page last updated: November 2, 2023
