COPD Living With Are Wood-Burning Stoves Safe for Your Health? By Deborah Leader, RN Deborah Leader, RN Deborah Leader RN, PHN, is a registered nurse and medical writer who focuses on COPD. Learn about our editorial process Updated on March 04, 2021 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Sanja Jelic, MD Medically reviewed by Sanja Jelic, MD Sanja Jelic, MD, is board-certified in sleep medicine, critical care medicine, pulmonary disease, and internal medicine. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Wood-burning stoves may keep you warm and cozy, but they can also be hazardous to your health. You might notice effects such as coughing and shortness of breath within a few days (and sometimes even within a few minutes) of exposure to the fumes. Recurrent exposure can exacerbate many illnesses such as emphysema and heart failure. Stefan Cristian Cioata / Getty Images According to the American Lung Association, wood-burning stoves produce harmful toxins that can damage your lungs and increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, and premature death. The fumes from wood-burning stoves are especially dangerous if you have a respiratory condition, such as asthma. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises limiting exposure to wood-burning stoves and their fumes and always adhering to safety precautions whenever you use them. What Happens When Wood Burns The smoke from a wood-burning stove releases pollutants, mainly in the form of toxic gases and particle pollution. It may not seem it, but this is toxic waste. It sticks to your chimney as creosote and is released into the air. Creosote is a gummy, foul-smelling combustible chemical residue that is produced when wood gases are not completely burned. Too much creosote can create a chimney fire. Old or poorly installed wood-burning stoves pose a higher risk of smoke emission, an increase in air pollution, and greater risk of house fires. You should never smell smoke from your wood stove. If you do, this means that it is not operating safely and should be serviced. Health Risks Exposure to particle pollution increases your risk of emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and even death from heart and lung disease. Anyone with a chronic illness is more susceptible to the harmful effects of a wood-burning stove. Children, with their developing lungs and small body size, can have severe and lasting effects from exposure to the fumes emitted by a wood-burning stove. Older adults are prone to feeling sick during or after exposure and developing chronic health complications. You could also be at especially high risk of developing health problems from wood-burning stove fumes if you: Have heart or lung disease, including congestive heart failure (CHF), angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, or asthma Have a chronic illness, such as cancer, lupus, or an immune deficiency Short-Term Health Effects You may notice immediate effects when you are exposed to a wood-burning stove while it is burning, or even if you are near the vicinity of remaining toxic residue. Symptoms can include: Shortness of breath Coughing An asthma attack Acute bronchitis Worsened allergies A respiratory infection such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis (within a few days) If you already have lung disease, smoke from wood-burning stoves can aggravate your symptoms. You may experience any of the following within a few days of exposure to fumes from a wood-burning stove: Flare-up of a chronic cough Increased mucus production Increased wheezing Worsened dyspnea (shortness of breath) If you have heart disease, fumes from a wood-burning stove can increase the risk of: Chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, and/or fatigue Heart attack Arrhythmias (irregular heart rate) Long-Term Health Effects Particulate matter can be breathed deep into the lungs. Once trapped there, it can damage the cells, making breathing more difficult and worsening heart and lung conditions. Long-term effects of smoke from wood-burning stoves have been linked to: A decline in lung functionChronic bronchitisLung and other cancersHeart diseaseDementiaPremature death How Particle Pollution Affects Your Health Safety Tips EPA-certified wood-burning stoves burn more efficiently than older models with less creosote and smoke build-up in the chimney. If you plan to use a wood-burning stove, know that safety begins with installation. It's important to have yours installed by a certified professional installer, and to have already-existing stoves inspected by such an expert before using them. Follow the recommended schedule for proper maintenance thereafter. Using your wood-burning stove with caution, then, becomes essential. There are important procedures you need to follow: Keep your flue open to allow plenty of oxygen in while using your stove.Start your fire with clean newspaper or dry kindling.Only burn clean, dry wood that has been properly seasoned.Don't burn particleboard, treated wood, stained wood, painted wood, or wet wood.Never start a fire in your wood stove with gasoline, kerosene, charcoal starter, or a propane torch.Burn hot, bright fires.In milder weather, burn smaller fires.Avoid fires that smolder.Let the fire burn down to coals, then rake them into a mound toward the air inlet and wood stove door.Don't spread the coals out flat.Keep the doors of your wood stove closed at all times, unless you're tending to the fire.Remove ashes from your stove on a regular basis. The EPA offers more helpful guidance on wood-burning stoves and their use on their website. You also need to make sure that your home or the building where you are using a wood-burning stove is properly equipped to handle the effects. Maintaining safe surroundings includes: Using an air filtration device which have been shown to effectively improve the quality of air in hones with wood burning stoves Installing and maintaining smoke alarms. Installing and maintaining a carbon monoxide detector. Always keeping a fire extinguisher handy and in proper, working condition. Keeping anything flammable away from your wood-burning stove, including drapes, furniture, books, and newspapers. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 9 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Lung Association. What you need to know about your wood-burning stove and heater. US Environmental Protection Agency. Wood smoke and your health. Semmens E, Noonan C, Allen R, Weiler E, Ward T. Indoor particulate matter in rural, wood stove heated homes. Environ Res. 2015;138:93-100. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2015.02.005 Rokoff L, Koutrakis P, Garshick E, et al. Wood stove pollution in the developed world: a case to raise awareness among pediatricians.Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2017;47(6):123-141. doi:10.1016/j.cppeds.2017.04.001 American Lung Association. Residential wood burning can harm our health. White A, Sandler D. Indoor wood-burning stove and fireplace use and breast cancer in a prospective cohort study. Environ Health Perspect. 2017;125(7):077011. doi:10.1289/EHP827 Oudin A, Segersson D, Adolfsson R, Forsberg B. Association between air pollution from residential wood burning and dementia incidence in a longitudinal study in Northern Sweden. PLoS ONE. 2018;13(6):e0198283. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198283 Ward T, Semmens E, Weiler E, Harrar S, Noonan C. Efficacy of interventions targeting household air pollution from residential wood stoves. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2017;27(1):64-71. doi:10.1038/jes.2015.73 US Environmental Protection Agency. Best Wood-Burning Practices.