Traffic pollution and wood burning stoves 'make asthma worse', warn experts Traffic pollution can increase asthma symptoms by 80% Wood burning stoves increase flare ups by 11% Sufferers advised to switch to modern heating sources and avoid busy roads Trendy wood burning stoves can make asthma worse, research suggests. A study found that exposure to wood smoke from wood fire heaters increased the symptoms by 11 per cent. Heavy-traffic pollution was an even larger factor, seeing an 80 per cent increase in symptoms, reports the journal Respirology. The authors, from the University of Melbourne, say it is the first study to assess the impact of traffic pollution and wood smoke from heaters on middle-aged adults with asthma. Trendy wood burning stoves could be to blame for coughing fits and wheezing in asthma sufferers The breathing condition affects more than 300 million people worldwide and is one of the most chronic health problems. Dr John Burgess said: 'It is now recommended that adults who suffer asthma should not live on busy roads and that the use of old wood heaters should be upgraded to newer heaters, to ensure their health does not worsen.' The researchers looked at 1383 44-year old adults in Tasmania and asked them to rate their exposure to both traffic pollution and smoke from wood fires. The results were based on the self-reporting of symptoms and the number of flare-ups or exacerbations in a 12-month period. Participants reported from between two to three flare-ups (called intermittent asthma) to more than one flare-up per week (severe persistent asthma) over the same time. Dr Burgess said that the increase in symptoms from traffic pollution was of greater significance to city dwellers. But the stove findings were of relevance to those in the country, he said. Breathe easy: Experts advise asthma sufferers avoid living near busy roads and switch to clean heating sources to reduce symptoms and flare ups He explained: 'Our study also revealed a connection between the inhalation of wood smoke exposure and asthma severity and that the use of wood for heating is detrimental to health in communities such as Tasmania where use of wood burning is common. 'Clean burning practices and the replacement of old polluting wood stoves by new ones are likely to minimise both indoor and outdoor wood smoke pollution and improve people's health. These findings may have particular importance in developing countries where wood smoke exposure is likely to be high in rural communities due to the use of wood for heating and cooking, and the intensity of air pollution from vehicular traffic in larger cities is significant. The study found no association between traffic pollution and wood smoke and the onset of asthma.