Stove industry threatened English councils with legal action over wood-burning health warnings

BMJ Group

Eight London boroughs ran a joint campaign warning residents about the health effects of burning wood at home. In late 2023, they received a legal threat from the Stove Industry Association, the trade group representing stove manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers in the UK.

Brighton and Hove ran a campaign calling wood burning a "cosy killer" after air quality sensors across the city showed dramatic spikes in harmful particle pollution, peaking at 10 p.m. when wood burners are typically lit. The council faced industry pressure to pull it.

Oxford City Council received a communication from the same trade association claiming there was "no scientific evidence" that wood burning caused adverse health effects.

These cases, along with others, are documented in an investigation published by The BMJ, based on Freedom of Information requests submitted to the 50 English councils with the highest concentrations of wood-burning stoves. Just under a third had been threatened with legal action or subjected to lobbying by the Stove Industry Association.

What the evidence actually shows

Domestic wood burning is a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the UK. Government emission data confirm it. An estimated one in 10 English homes now has a wood-burning stove, and the contribution of domestic burning to overall PM2.5 pollution has been growing even as other sources, like vehicle emissions, have been declining.

The health consequences of PM2.5 exposure are well established. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma, stroke: the list is long and the evidence base is deep. Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, has cited research showing that even the newest "eco-design" stoves emit considerably more pollution than gas boilers or electric heating.

Against that evidence, the stove trade group sent leaflets to at least three councils, Dudley, Elmbridge, and Rushmoor, claiming that wood burning provides "health and wellbeing benefits," including lower blood pressure and reduced stress. Dudley also received a video from the association rebutting the "misconceptions" that wood-burning stoves were harmful.

The industry's defense

The Stove Industry Association told The BMJ that its correspondence with local authorities was aimed at providing a "balanced and educational position." It said it had never intentionally set out to undermine public awareness about health effects of wood burning and that some council campaigns were, in its view, not balanced and could be considered scaremongering.

The trade group emphasized that its members have worked to drive down emissions through improved stove technology and that air quality is a key priority for the association.

The distinction the SIA draws, between opposing public health campaigns and seeking "balanced" messaging, is a familiar one in industry communications. Public health advocates say it amounts to the same thing when the practical effect is to discourage councils from warning residents about a proven source of harm.

The policy context

The investigation comes as the UK government is considering adding health warnings to new wood-burning stoves as part of a public consultation on solid fuel burning. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has set targets to cut air pollution by a third by 2030, including stricter limits on newly purchased stoves and health labels for fuels.

Whitty tells The BMJ that the growth of wood-burning stoves in urban areas now contributes a significant and growing proportion of air pollution and is reversing decades of progress in some places. Laura Horsfall of the UCL Institute of Health Informatics argues for clearer public health messaging, noting that wood burning is often marketed as natural, cosy, or environmentally friendly, despite the evidence.

The pattern, an industry trade group using legal pressure to suppress public health information from local government, is not new in the broader history of public health campaigns. Tobacco, alcohol, and processed food industries have all employed similar strategies. What makes this case distinctive is how recently wood-burning stoves became a significant pollution concern and how quickly the trade group mobilized to counter the councils' response.

For councils considering future public health campaigns on wood burning, the calculus has not changed: the evidence supports the warnings. But the investigation makes clear that running those campaigns may come with legal threats attached.