Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Household air pollution, Labour’s lag on child poverty, children forced to cope with conflict

10 snips
Mar 6, 2026
Faith Agumia, suicide prevention advocate working on community mental health in conflict zones. Michael Marmot, health equity expert focused on rising UK child poverty and local 'Marmot' initiatives. Rebecca Coombs, investigative journalist on urban wood burning and industry pressure. They discuss wood smoke and public health pushback. They cover the surge in child poverty and local responses. They explore community-led mental health care for children in conflict.
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INSIGHT

Industry Pressure Chills Council Health Campaigns

  • Councils in 50 high-use areas reported industry pressure after running health campaigns, chilling further public messaging.
  • Rebecca Coombs found just under a third were contacted by the Stove Industry Association, sometimes with threats of legal or ASA complaints.
ADVICE

Label Stoves With Strong Health Warnings

  • Label and regulate stoves to inform buyers and reduce emissions per the government's consultation.
  • The consultation proposes cigarette-style health warnings and tighter emissions controls to change public understanding.
INSIGHT

Urban Stove Use Is Reversing Air Quality Gains

  • Domestic wood burning now contributes a significant and growing share of urban PM2.5, undermining transport gains.
  • Gary Fuller and Chris Whitty warn spikes on cold nights and pollutants like arsenic and PAHs make home burning especially harmful.
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