Enjoy a cosy night by the fire... but don’t forget your mask!

LIGHTING a fire at home may create a cosy atmosphere – but the warmth and glow now come with a health warning.

Scientists say people should put on a mask before striking a match in their fireplace, or risk inhaling harmful fumes.

And they warned that a family fireside can be as dangerous as a mine or building site when it comes to carbon emissions.

A potentially damaging number of particles are released, particularly when a fire is lit and logs first added.

And it can take three hours to clear the pollution, after opening a window, a study led by Leon University in Spain found.

The scientists recorded pollution from ten fires in an ordinary home. They said: ‘When the fireplace is cold and during the cleaning activities, only the person responsible for carrying out this activity would stay in the living room and [should] wear a suitable mask.’

Domestic fires mainly create carbon fumes, and emit particles small enough to get into the lungs. Small particles have been shown to reduce lung function, with the study warning they can pose a ‘significant risk to human health’.

But Dr Ian Colbeck, of Essex University, said the mask recommendation was ‘excessive’ as ‘overall exposure to particulate matter is minimal’.

Responding to the study in the journal Science of the Total Environment, Leicester University’s Professor Paul Monks said: ‘Many [masks] are not very effective at stopping the very small particles.’

‘Significant risk to human health’