Wood-Ash-The Unregulated Radwaste!

Burning Issues: A project of Clean Air Revival, Inc.
http://burningissues.org


RADWASTE-Farber-1991
From: Science News: The Weekly Newsmagazine
A Science Service Publication
Volume 140, No.6, August 10. 1991
Wood Ash: The unregulated radwaste

"While cleaning ashes from his fireplace two years ago, Stewart A. Farber mused that if trees filter and store airborne pollutants, they might also harbor fallout from the nuclear weapons tests of the 1950s and 1960s. On a whim, he brought some of his fireplace ash to Yankee Atomic Electric Companies' environmental lab in Boston, Mass., where he manages environmental monitoring. Farber says he was amazed to discover that his sample showed the distinctive cesium and strontium 'signatures' of nuclear fallout-and that the concentration of radioactivity "was easily 100 times greater than anything (our Lab) had ever seen in an environmental sample."

Since then, he has obtained wood-ash radioactivity assays from 16 other scientists across the nation. These 47 data sets, representing trees in 14 states, suggest that fallout in wood ash "is a major source of radioactivity released into the environment," Farber says. With the exception of some very low California readings, all measurements of ash with fallout-cesium exceeded - some by 100 times or more - the levels of radioactive cesium that may be released from nuclear plants (about 100 picocuries per kilogram of sludge). Ash-cesium levels were especially high in the Northeast - probably because naturally high levels of nonradioactive cesium in the soil discourage trees from releasing fallout-derived cesium through their roots, he says.

Industrial wood burning in the United States generates and estimated 900,000 tons of ash each year: residential and utility wood burning generates another 543,000 tons. Already, many companies are recycling this unregulated ash in fertilizers. The irony, Farber says, is that federal regulations require releases from nuclear plants to be disposed of as radioactive waste if they contain even 1 percent of the cesium and strontium levels detected in the ash samples from New England. If ash were subject to the same regulations, he says, its disposal would cost U.S.A. wood burners more than $30 billion annually."

Massachusetts Laws-Boards of Health

Legal Information

Go to-----http://masscleanair.org/mainlinks/legal.htm

Massachusetts Laws:

Boards of Health in Massachusetts are given the authority to regulate air pollution on a local level, as well as the responsibility protect the public health. The following are laws that govern Boards of Health.

o M.G.L - Chapter 111, Section 31
o M.G.L - Chapter 111, Section 31C
o M.G.L - Chapter 111, Section 122
o M.G.L - Chapter 111, Section 143
o M.G.L - Chapter 111, Section 144

3.10 CMR 7.07 - Open Burning Law



Local Regulations in Massachusetts

Northampton Regulations

Amherst Regulations
Wood Burning
Operators
Wood Burning Operator's Exam
Practices


Legal Cases in Other States

Wood Smoke and the Americans With Disabilities Act -- Iowa Court Case

Nebraska Court Case

Pennsylvania Court Case


Go to-----http://masscleanair.org/mainlinks/legal.htm

Ban on fireplace use-Bono-New York

Divine CA
Canada's Online
Women's Magazine

Bono's smoking victory
Aug 28, 2007

(BANG) -Bono's neighbours have been banned from using their fireplaces after he complained about smoke in the building.

The U2 singer, who owns The San Remo penthouse on New York's highly desirable Central Park West Street, was unhappy with the smoke coming from his neighbours' apartments and formally requested all open fires be stopped.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "Bono recently complained of smoke from neighbouring apartments and now there has been in a ban on fireplace use in the whole building."

But the 'With or Without You' singer is rumoured to be moving downtown. Bono and bandmate The Edge were recently spotted in the hot-pink Julian Schnabel tower at 360 West 11th Street with clipboards and brokers and sources say Bono is planning to buy the top two floors there.

The 47-year-old singer lives in Killiney, southern Ireland, with his wife Alison and their four children.

He and The Edge also share a villa in Èze, southern France.

(C) BANG Media International

Ban wood-burning fireplaces--and get a fume-free night's rest, too

Ban wood-burning fireplaces?

J.D. Mullane…jmullane@phillyburbs.com
www.phillyburbs.com
September 4, 2007

Every so often, readers will call to pitch an idea for a cause they believe I will champion.

Such is the case with a caller who left this message: “I was wondering if you would consider writing a column on fireplace burning, especially on nights when the weatherman says it's cool enough and you can leave your windows open. You know, "great sleeping weather.' Inevitably, certain people will use the cool night weather as an excuse to light a fire and snuggle next to a fireplace.

“The fumes fill the neighborhood and your bedroom and you can't leave your windows open. Maybe we need a ban on fireplace burning. I live in Levittown. It's getting really bad around here. But I was wondering if you would consider writing about this.”

Fireplaces cause “fumes” and give people an excuse to “snuggle”? Outrageous!
You are onto something, caller. Wood-burning fireplaces should be banned. Let me make the case, beginning with the “fumes” issue first.

Who can stand the smell of wood smoke wafting through the neighborhood, especially on a crisp autumn day?

Why, the next thing you know, a person might find himself digging through the garage for the football, calling his kids outside, tossing the football, having fun, and this inevitably puts him in a good mood.

But he should not be in a good mood! This is because he and his children are inhaling noxious fireplace fumes, which are loaded with grimy “particulates” that cause cancer, asthma and sleepless nights for grumpy neighbors. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if wood-burning fireplaces also cause global warming, cancer clusters, men who wear flip-flops while shopping, and other planetary plagues.

Now for the “snuggling” issue.

Lighting a fire naturally leads to this. In some cases, people are tempted to open a bottle of wine, recline in front of the crackling flames, and drink the wine.
This leads to something even worse than snuggling — drunken snuggling! And, dear caller, I think we know what kind of hanky-panky that leads to.

We need to lead Bucks County in the movement to ban wood-burning, planet-killing, snuggle-inducing fireplaces.

I suggest you and I form an environmental awareness group. We can call it “Fireplaces Are Really Terrible” and put the acronym on bumper stickers.
Maybe we could enlist the help of the New Hope Borough Council. New Hope has banned smoking in bars and wants to ban Dunkin' Donuts. New Hope seems to like banning stuff. Why not wood-burning fireplaces, too?

We could get annoying Irish rock star Bono to come and speak for the cause. He's with us on this. Last week, according a newspaper, he requested his neighbors in New York's Central Park West neighborhood stop using their fireplaces. He, too, is bothered by stink and fumes. Yay, Bono.

Naturally, people who like wood smoke, snuggling and hanky-panky will strongly object. We may have to compromise and permit propane fireplaces. Many of the new ones are operated by remote control, so we'll easily have the couch potato population on our side.

If people miss the sound of real wood crackling, we can have them download fireplace sound effects from our Web site. With digital quality sound, is there really a difference?

Sure, when Christmas comes, people may have to sing “Chestnuts Roasting on a Phony Fire.”

But we'll tell them to get over it. We're trying to save the planet, and get a fume-free night's rest, too.


Mullane's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.---www.phillyburbs.com