Tighten wood-heater standards to protect health

'Where there’s smoke there’s asthma’, page 3, SMH today.

“Governments should stop dawdling on this issue and stand up to Australia’s wood-heating industry which has worked to sabotage efforts to tighten standards to reduce pollution and improve public health,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“Commonwealth and State ministers have been dawdling along, failing to do the leg work needed to set the tougher air quality standards the public deserves.

“Even in Sydney, where only 4.3% of households use wood as the main form of heating, wood-heaters are the largest single source of dangerous fine particulates or PM2.5 emissions.

“Woodheaters produce 4503 tonnes of PM2.5 a year, compared to 797 tonnes for all Sydney passenger cars.

“Self-regulation of the wood-heating industry has shown to be a failure.

“Australia must take the lead from New Zealand and develop stricter standards for wood-heaters to protect public health and allow national air quality standards to be met.

“In the interim, while stricter health based standards are being developed, Australia could adopt the tougher New Zealand standards, including not allowing new installations in areas where wood smoke builds up.

“Wood smoke irritates the lining of airways, leading to a shortening of breath, coughing and asthma. Wood–heaters also produce dangerous toxins like dioxin, arsenic, formaldehyde and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

“Based on NSW Health’s estimates, that every kilogram of PM2.5 leads to health costs of at least $132, the average wood-heating in Sydney has health costs of more than $5,000 a year.

“Luring people away from using wood-heaters demands greater incentives to pursue energy efficient house design and cleaner, less toxic sources of heating,” Ms Rhiannon said.