"Control of wood smoke air pollution is an important public health issue… We need to eliminate or minimise the need for heating by design ... wherever possible, substitution with other non-polluting technologies is the best."
Armidale consultant physician and member of the Armidale Health and Wellbeing Committee, Dr Gary Baker, said there were negative health implications of wood smoke both at the source as an indoor air pollutant and as an outside air pollutant in Armidale.
"We do know that wood smoke contributes to increased incidence of respiratory disease, especially for those at greater risk including the elderly, children and people with chronic respiratory disease such as asthma," Dr Baker said. "There is also evidence that other systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease can be aggravated by exposure to air pollutants. " Dr Baker said the control of wood smoke air pollution was an important public health issue.

"In Australia, there has been increasing criticism of the lack of at national standard…" The May 08 issue of Clean Air (Aus/NZ Clean Air Society journal) notes that (since Sept 05) woodheaters installed in urban areas in NZ must have emissions ratings less than 1.5 g/kg, compared to 4 g/kg in Australia. However, the National Environment and Heritage Council is now exploring policy options for national action on woodheating and possibly a woodsmoke NEPM.

Sadly, there is no mention of basing emissions limits on the costs and benefits of woodheating. Suppose a new lounge suite costing $2,500 gave off fumes that caused the premature death of a dozen elderly people. There'd be an outcry – "a human life is worth more than this amount of money!" So why do we accept woodheaters costing $2,500 that give off fumes causing the premature deaths of several hundred people and with estimated health costs of thousands of dollars per heater year? Why don't politicians introduce a moratorium on installing new woodheaters until the costs and benefits of woodheating have been compared, and an appropriate standard set? This would stimulate the speedy adoption of new technology (e.g. sensors to ensure fires burn at the correct temperature), reduce the substantial health costs of the sub-standard heaters being installed in people's homes, as well as the eventual cost of their removal.

Cleaner alternatives include pellet heaters, and masonry heaters (which burn for a couple of hours at high temperatures and gradually release heat for many hours after firing). If the health and environmental costs of woodsmoke pollution are considered – including visits to doctors for medication, hospital admissions, increased travel of neighbours who move house to avoid the smoke, and increased electricity consumption of neighbours using filtration systems – non or low-polluting alternatives are far less expensive than the woodheaters currently being installed.