That Cozy Fire Could Be Hurting You

Not much compares to the warmth and glow of a crackling fire on a cold winter day. It can change the room’s whole feel, offering an escape from the elements and a place for couples or a family to huddle close through a long winter night. As inviting and cozy as that fire might be though, it could also be the source of multiple health problems. Here’s what everyone with a fireplace needs to know.

Fireplaces are Actually a Toxic Threat

According to the American Heart Association, indoor fires can also add a slew of dangerous chemicals into the air, including formaldehyde and benzene, which enter our bloodstreams when we breathe the air in which they are suspended. We might not realize how much smoke finds its way into the home instead of out the chimney, but it’s enough to expose us to toxic substances every time we spark up the fireplace.

The Dangers of Smoke Inhalation

Wood fires release particulate matter that can contribute to indoor air pollution. These fine particles are invisible to the naked eye, but they can travel deep into the lungs, cause inflammation, worsen asthma symptoms and increase blood clot potential. Over 4 million people, mostly those who rely on indoor fires for cooking and heating, die each year worldwide due to its effects so this isn't an overblown problem but rather one that's unrecognized by too many.

The cumulative effects of wood fire smoke inhalation can be similar to those resulting from secondhand cigarette smoke, including increased risks of heart attack and stroke. These impacts may be because exposure appears to contribute to the hardening of the arteries over time.

Moreover, regularly using a fireplace can pose specific risks to pregnant women, causing higher rates of blood pressure-related issues like preeclampsia. Smoke exposure may also contribute to lower birth weights and higher chances of infant mortality. 

But there is hope. It's not all gloom and doom. 

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Reduce the effects of an indoor fire on indoor air quality by swapping out your fireplace, flue, or stove for a new, more efficient fireplace design. Both wood-burning and gas options can provide heat and ambiance without spilling pollution into the home — but the old fireplaces and stoves we're familiar with won't cut it.  Unless your fireplace is really new, it's probably worth having it looked at by an experienced technician and checked for whether or not it's sending toxic fumes into your home. New alternatives to the old versions reduce the seepage of cold air coming in from the chimney as well as toxic backflow while offering air-tight protection from the fire’s dangerous waste products.

Renovation isn’t always an option, we understand, but the only other way to guarantee reduced exposure is to minimize fireplace use. Need the fireplace for heat or cooking? Consumer Reports recommends using an air purifier to reduce indoor smoke levels during wildfire season, so it stands to reason that running one in the same room as a burning hearth may also help — though we stress this is just a possibility and not at all a guarantee that it will help at all.

Indoor air quality can be hard enough to maintain without the addition of pollution from a fireplace, according to the EPA. Candles, smoking, off-gassing, living in an area with low air quality — there's much to consider with indoor air quality. And those of us who already have cardiovascular or pulmonary risks should take care to keep exposure to a minimum. The effects may not be noticeable until the damage is done. But in the meantime, it may help give peace of mind to ask a technician to check out your current situation and to explore options. Stay healthy out there. 

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