Deaths from wood heating
DSAWSP board member Dr. Dorothy Robinson is lead author of a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia. The effects on mortality and the associated financial costs of wood heater pollution in a regional Australian city first appeared online 9 August 2021.
The study found that in the city of Armidale, New South Wales (population 24,504), fourteen prematures deaths each year are attributable to air pollution from wood heaters. This corresponds to 210 lost years of life and an estimated cost of $10,930 per heater per year.
Additional information about the study can be found on the Australian Medical Association’s InSight+ website, including a link to a podcast with Dr. Robinson.
This important study also received coverage in the Australian media, including on ABC: Health experts call for reform as data suggests woodfired heaters are responsible for more premature deaths than thought, and in the Sydney Morning Herald: Up in smoke: Study reveals deadly toll of household wood fires.
