Doctors Against Wood Smoke
Doctors and Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution (DSAWSP) was formed in 2016 by an international group of doctors, academics and others. UPHE’s Dr. Brian Moench was its founding organizer, and he has served as DSAWSP’s board chair since its beginning. It functions as a program within UPHE.
Wood burning is a major source—and often the major source—of air pollution in many neighborhoods and communities, yet there is a critical lack of awareness of this issue. Wood combustion is a serious public health hazard, whether in appliances used for heating or cooking, or from wildfires or prescribed burns. We discourage the use of the popular term “good fire” because while fire can be a beneficial component of the life cycle of some ecosystems, there is no such thing as “good fire” when it comes to either human exposure or climate impacts.
In many ways emissions from wood combustion are more toxic than those from various forms of fossil fuel combustion, and the most toxic type of pollution the average person is routinely exposed to. Unfortunately, the public’s awareness of the danger of wood combustion is more limited than with other types of air pollution. DSAWSP works to fill this awareness gap by providing information for the public and policymakers on the toxicity, public health consequences, and climate impacts of wood combustion. The group submits comments with policy recommendations to government entities and has provided expert testimony in wood smoke pollution cases.
DSAWSP maintains a comprehensive website with links to peer-reviewed studies and other sources of information, and uses social media to increase public awareness about wood smoke pollution. As well as sharing the science, DSAWSP also shares stories from people whose lives are affected by wood smoke in order to show the serious impact this problem has on real people.
See: www.dsawsp.org.
More information on wood burning and the health impacts:
