<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-07-28/national-map-wood-heater-pollution-smoke-health-deaths/105517056>
"Every year the winter cold brings an ambient haze of wood heater smoke to the
suburbs, streets and houses of southern Australia.
This smoke can aggravate asthma, divide neighbours and drive people inside.
Now, new modelling gives a clearer picture of its toll on the nation's health.
The Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania estimates long-term
exposure to wood-heater smoke causes 729 premature deaths every year in
Australia, which is more than the deaths attributable to emissions from the
national fleet of 20 million vehicles, or from energy generation, or even
bushfires.
Along with this figure, the Centre has built the first national map of
wood-heater emissions and deaths attributable to these emissions, with a
resolution that can pick out clusters of suburbs most at risk.
Cost-of-living pressures, power price hikes and a wood-heater sales boom during
COVID may mean more houses are burning wood than ever before.
Meanwhile, Australians are increasingly aware the smoke is a risk to their
health.
Neighbourly bust-ups over the issue appear to be on the rise.
Here's where the smoke is worst, and where long-term exposure is costing the
most lives."
Nobody likes to hear that their behaviour is hurting other people. So they get
defensive. This is just another example.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
