During the heating season, GGDs regularly receive questions from citizens and municipalities about nuisance and health complaints caused by wood burning. Often situations that come to a GGD have already escalated into a conflict with 'wood-burning' neighbors and it is difficult for the GGD to offer a solution. Sometimes GGDs are involved in discussions about developing new sustainable neighborhoods in which wood stoves are used as a sustainable energy source. The GGDs have submitted a project proposal to the RIVM Health and Environment center with the request to provide more insight into the possible health effects of wood burning by Dutch households.
This report is about the health effects of burning wood in wood-burning stoves in the Netherlands. This report will only discuss the situation in the Netherlands and comparable Western countries. The health effects of wood burning in developing countries are therefore not discussed. In this report, wood-burning stoves include free-standing wood-burning stoves, fireplaces and inserts. Only private use will be discussed. Outdoor wood fires (such as fire pits and barbecues in summer) are not taken into account.
