U.S. EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards

Publication

The Plain English Guide To The Clean Air Act

Home woodstoves

Woodstoves and fireplace inserts have become very popular in the past twenty years. Although these woodburning heat suppliers are relatively cheap to operate, they have some disadvantages, including polluting the air. In some areas of the country, wintertime air pollution from wood smoke has become so bad that governments have had to curtail the use of woodstoves and fireplaces under certain weather and pollution conditions.

Wood smoke often contains a lot of particulates (dust, soot) and much higher levels of hazardous air pollutants, including some cancer-causing chemicals, than smoke from oil- or gas-fired furnaces. Steps to clean up wood smoke pollution have included redesigning the burning system in woodstoves; newer woodstoves put out much less pollution than older models.

Under the 1990 Act, EPA has issued guidelines for reducing pollution from home wood-burning. These guidelines, which are not requirements, include design information for less-polluting stoves and fireplaces.