A group of paediatricians has demanded that wood-burning stoves should be phased out in urban settings to protect children's health.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) says that air pollution is the second most dangerous factor for death in children under five.
Dr Emily Parker of the RCPCH said that "I see the impacts of air pollution on children during almost every shift...that's why we are calling on the government to tackle the top causes of PM2.5 [particulate matter] and nitrogen dioxide, the two air pollutants that are most harmful to children's health. Air pollution limits across the UK are currently set dangerously high, often at four times the WHO [World Health Organisation] guidelines."
It is reported that the growth in the popularity of wood burners and open fires among urban middle-class families has made them the country's biggest source of PM2.5, one of the most dagerous air pollutants. They produce more pollution than cars.
The college says that children are especially vulnerable because they inhale more air in proportion to their body weight than adults do.
Dr Michael McKean of the college said: "Breathing dirty air as a child irreversibly stunts lung growth and continues to affect lung capacity in adulthood; in some cases it can even result in death."
The college also said that it would like to see "Ella's Law", conferring a legal right to clean air for everyone, enacted. This is named after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, a nine-year-old girl who died in 2020 from asthma aggravated by air pollution.
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