Good, bad and toxic fuel woods: Trees on farms make the difference

Log fire - Timor. Photo courtesy of Prof Tony Cunningham
Log fire – Timor. Photo courtesy of Prof Tony Cunningham

Sitting next to a fire holds great pleasure for most of us. So does the smoky flavour wood-smoke brings to food. But daily use of firewood in poorly ventilated households can have hidden health consequences, particularly for women and children.

According to Professor Tony Cunningham of the School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, the 2.4 billion people in developing countries, notably in Africa and Asia, who use solid biomass fuels such as wood, charcoal and dung for cooking and heating are especially at risk. Read more. . .