Redlands Daily Facts.com
Locals given incentive to ditch wood fireplaces
Liset Marquez, Staff Writer
Posted:12/14/2008 10:02:04 PM PST
Southern California might not seem like a hotspot for fireplaces, but there are enough wood-burning types to do damage to the air and people's health.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District will provide Inland Empire residents with a $125 discount toward the conversion or purchase of a gas fireplace.
The discount is being offered through the district's Healthy Hearths program, AQMD spokesman Sam Atwood said.
"This is to reinforce that wood, as natural as it may be, is hazardous to their health," Atwood said. Despite its typically warm weather, Southern California has more than 1.4 million homes that use fireplaces, Atwood said.
Breathing in wood smoke and the tiny particles that escape when wood burns - called fine particulates - can cause respiratory problems or irritation in the nose and throat.
Several studies have shown that long-term exposure to fine particulates results in respiratory problems, said Jean Ospital, health-effects officer for AQMD.
Fireplaces contribute to the six tons of pollution a day that come from burning wood. That's four times the amount emitted by the region's power plants, Atwood said.
The numbers are a reason for why Southern California has the worst pollution in the country and has led AQMD to look at ways to reduce particulate-matter emissions, Atwood said.
In recent years, measures have been taken to clean up the air and meet Environmental Protection Agency standards, Atwood said.
In March, the district's governing board adopted a rule prohibiting the sale and installation of wood-burning devices in the region by 2011. When the governing board adopted the rule, it directed $500,000 to gas-fireplace companies to provide an incentive for buyers to make the switch.
The district has contracted with Rasmussen Companies and RJ Peters Company - which have 60 retailers in the region - to provide the instant rebates.
"Southern California has some of the highest levels of fine particulate matter, and the levels tend to be higher in San Bernardino and Riverside County areas," Ospital said.
Areas with elevated levels of fine-particulate matter have higher levels of premature deaths, said Atwood.
A study by the California Air Resources Board estimates there are annually about 6,000 deaths in Southern California from exposure to fine particulates, Atwood said.
The problem is that researchers don't know how much of an effect emissions from wood burning has on the levels of fine-particulate matter, Ospital said.
That is what has led AQMD to ask residents in the region to switch to gas fireplaces, which are 99 percent cleaner than wood fireplaces, Atwood said.
"Wood smoke is probably a small amount, but nonetheless it's a source that is significant and we can do something about," Atwood said.
To help spread the word about converting from wood to gas fireplaces, AQMD has set up a Healthy Hearths Web site.
REF: Redlands Daily Facts.com
Henrietta Township couple suing maker of wood boiler
Sunday, December 14, 2008
From----BurningIssues.org Web site-Forum
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:34 am---Post subject: OWB lawsuit (Michigan)
Henrietta Township couple suing maker of wood boiler
by Danielle Quisenberry | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Thursday November 13, 2008, 7:15 AM
A Henrietta Township couple is suing a Minnesota outdoor wood boiler manufacturer that they allege knowingly creates and sells heating devices proven to be harmful to human health.
A Texas lawyer filed the suit last month in the District Court of Hennepin County, Minn., on behalf of Roger and Mary Soldano — whose neighbor used a wood boiler. The defendant is Red Lake Falls, Minn.-based Northwest Manufacturing Inc.
"Northwest Manufacturing has known about the dangerous emissions and smoke generated by the (outdoor wood boiler) in question and others like it for some time and has failed to warn the public or take any action to correct a defectively designed product," the lawsuit reads.
"As a direct and proximate result of the reckless, negligent, callous, and outrageous acts and omissions of Defendant Northwest Manufacturing Inc., Roger Soldano has sustained serious debilitating injuries."
The company's president could not be reached for comment.
Soldano's wife also has suffered long-lasting health effects and the company should be held liable for the pair's past and future medical expenses, loss of earnings and earning capacity, and their diminished enjoyment of life, according to the document.
The Soldanos' neighbor, Richard Cady on Hankerd Road near Mud Lake, for two heating seasons used an outdoor wood boiler that transfers heat through water lines from an outside structure to a home. He bought the device, a Woodmaster 4400, from Northwest Manufacturing.
Increasingly popular and largely unregulated in Michigan, the boilers are touted as inexpensive alternatives to gas or propane heat.
They also have been proven to be inefficient polluters, according to health and environmental organizations.
"It is really surprising these things are still on the market," said Soldano's lawyer, Joseph E. Ritch, who specializes in product-liability law in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Todd Strem, Northwest Manufacturing's sales and marketing manager, said last month that the company is developing more efficient, cleaner-burning models and encourages users to be conscientious of their neighbors and follow "best burn practices."
The company has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to come up with federal standards, now voluntary, for outdoor wood boilers, he said.
On Sept. 30, Jackson County Circuit Judge Chad Schmucker ordered Cady to remove or make inoperable his wood boiler after a Jackson County health officer informed Cady the boiler was a public health hazard.
The order prohibits Cady from using the burner until the matter is settled before or after a trial scheduled for Feb. 25.
The Jackson County case is separate from the Minnesota case, which does not involve Cady.
Cady's burner sat about 180 feet downwind from the Soldano house, according to court records and caused a cloud of smoke to settle over his neighbors.
Note...From-BurningIssues.org Web site-Forum. Great web site to visit!
Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:34 am---Post subject: OWB lawsuit (Michigan)
Henrietta Township couple suing maker of wood boiler
by Danielle Quisenberry | Jackson Citizen Patriot
Thursday November 13, 2008, 7:15 AM
A Henrietta Township couple is suing a Minnesota outdoor wood boiler manufacturer that they allege knowingly creates and sells heating devices proven to be harmful to human health.
A Texas lawyer filed the suit last month in the District Court of Hennepin County, Minn., on behalf of Roger and Mary Soldano — whose neighbor used a wood boiler. The defendant is Red Lake Falls, Minn.-based Northwest Manufacturing Inc.
"Northwest Manufacturing has known about the dangerous emissions and smoke generated by the (outdoor wood boiler) in question and others like it for some time and has failed to warn the public or take any action to correct a defectively designed product," the lawsuit reads.
"As a direct and proximate result of the reckless, negligent, callous, and outrageous acts and omissions of Defendant Northwest Manufacturing Inc., Roger Soldano has sustained serious debilitating injuries."
The company's president could not be reached for comment.
Soldano's wife also has suffered long-lasting health effects and the company should be held liable for the pair's past and future medical expenses, loss of earnings and earning capacity, and their diminished enjoyment of life, according to the document.
The Soldanos' neighbor, Richard Cady on Hankerd Road near Mud Lake, for two heating seasons used an outdoor wood boiler that transfers heat through water lines from an outside structure to a home. He bought the device, a Woodmaster 4400, from Northwest Manufacturing.
Increasingly popular and largely unregulated in Michigan, the boilers are touted as inexpensive alternatives to gas or propane heat.
They also have been proven to be inefficient polluters, according to health and environmental organizations.
"It is really surprising these things are still on the market," said Soldano's lawyer, Joseph E. Ritch, who specializes in product-liability law in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Todd Strem, Northwest Manufacturing's sales and marketing manager, said last month that the company is developing more efficient, cleaner-burning models and encourages users to be conscientious of their neighbors and follow "best burn practices."
The company has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to come up with federal standards, now voluntary, for outdoor wood boilers, he said.
On Sept. 30, Jackson County Circuit Judge Chad Schmucker ordered Cady to remove or make inoperable his wood boiler after a Jackson County health officer informed Cady the boiler was a public health hazard.
The order prohibits Cady from using the burner until the matter is settled before or after a trial scheduled for Feb. 25.
The Jackson County case is separate from the Minnesota case, which does not involve Cady.
Cady's burner sat about 180 feet downwind from the Soldano house, according to court records and caused a cloud of smoke to settle over his neighbors.
Note...From-BurningIssues.org Web site-Forum. Great web site to visit!
I love the smell of clean air, not smoke!---Letter
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Letters
Palo Alto Online
Spectrum - Friday, November 21, 2008
It's been nice to have a little rain lately. I especially enjoy going for late afternoon walks to enjoy the fall colors and the clean wet smell.
We are so lucky to live where the winds from the sea sweep our air clean. Unfortunately, on some blocks the air is frighteningly contaminated even on these brisk clear days. Smoke from wood-burning fireplaces billows and settles.
This is the smoke that causes up to 30 percent of the air pollution in the Bay Area, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. This is the smoke that has particles that lodge in the lungs and stay there forever, contributing to lung disease, especially in children and the elderly.
To burn wood or pressed logs is to spew filth into the air for all to breathe. I know some people love the smell of wood smoke (I smell ignorance) but I love the smell of clean air, not smoke! Please give your family and neighbors clean air this holiday season.
Maria Kleczewska
Menlo Park, CA.
Palo Alto Online
Spectrum - Friday, November 21, 2008
It's been nice to have a little rain lately. I especially enjoy going for late afternoon walks to enjoy the fall colors and the clean wet smell.
We are so lucky to live where the winds from the sea sweep our air clean. Unfortunately, on some blocks the air is frighteningly contaminated even on these brisk clear days. Smoke from wood-burning fireplaces billows and settles.
This is the smoke that causes up to 30 percent of the air pollution in the Bay Area, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. This is the smoke that has particles that lodge in the lungs and stay there forever, contributing to lung disease, especially in children and the elderly.
To burn wood or pressed logs is to spew filth into the air for all to breathe. I know some people love the smell of wood smoke (I smell ignorance) but I love the smell of clean air, not smoke! Please give your family and neighbors clean air this holiday season.
Maria Kleczewska
Menlo Park, CA.
Letter to the Editor-Wood Burning
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Belleville Intelligencer
Wood Burning
Posted By Shirley Brandie
Amherstburg, Ontario
Posted 15 hours ago
Wood Smoke .. The Silent Killer
It’s that time of year when the air turns crisp, the leaves are falling and thoughts turn to the approaching winter months. It’s also the time of year that some people dread, knowing that the foul stench of wood smoke is about to invade their homes and lives.
Poor air quality and pollution is a serious problem that requires the cooperation and effort of every Canadian. Just one important contributor to air pollution is often ignored. Residential wood burning produces fine particles and gases that contain a multitude of toxic substances and carcinogens.
Wood smoke is chemically active in the body 40 times longer than tobacco smoke and is 12 times more likely to cause cancer than the same amount of tobacco smoke, according to J. Lewis-USEPA.
Fireplaces are ineffective in heating a home, and only a few hours of wood burning in a single home can drastically raise fine particle concentrations in dozens of surrounding homes throughout the neighbourhood. None of us are protected from this toxic smoke.
Burning wood and allowing it to foul the air of your neighbours is a rude and unnecessary assault on the senses of your neighbours. It causes many people, especially the young, the elderly and those with respiratory problems to be put in great physical danger.
There is no need in this modern era to behave as if living in the wild, wild West, when it was a necessity. Burning wood is a costly and filthy affront to all that are invaded by it. Exposure to the smoke is extremely uncomfortable and causes burning eyes, dry and sore throat, irritation of the nasal passages, cardiovascular system damage, causes some types of cancer and brain damage, headaches, and allergic reactions, among other symptoms.
When smoke is prevalent in the area, people cannot open their windows for fresh air, because there is none. They cannot enjoy their own property due to the stench. Everyone should be able to relax in their own homes without the fear that they are being contaminated by toxic smoke. It is an environmental right of all people.
Please do all you can to prevent environmental and health problems for everyone today and for future generations. Please don’t burn. Let’s make this the most environmentally safe season for all!
Wood Burning
Posted By Shirley Brandie
Amherstburg, Ontario
Posted 15 hours ago
Wood Smoke .. The Silent Killer
It’s that time of year when the air turns crisp, the leaves are falling and thoughts turn to the approaching winter months. It’s also the time of year that some people dread, knowing that the foul stench of wood smoke is about to invade their homes and lives.
Poor air quality and pollution is a serious problem that requires the cooperation and effort of every Canadian. Just one important contributor to air pollution is often ignored. Residential wood burning produces fine particles and gases that contain a multitude of toxic substances and carcinogens.
Wood smoke is chemically active in the body 40 times longer than tobacco smoke and is 12 times more likely to cause cancer than the same amount of tobacco smoke, according to J. Lewis-USEPA.
Fireplaces are ineffective in heating a home, and only a few hours of wood burning in a single home can drastically raise fine particle concentrations in dozens of surrounding homes throughout the neighbourhood. None of us are protected from this toxic smoke.
Burning wood and allowing it to foul the air of your neighbours is a rude and unnecessary assault on the senses of your neighbours. It causes many people, especially the young, the elderly and those with respiratory problems to be put in great physical danger.
There is no need in this modern era to behave as if living in the wild, wild West, when it was a necessity. Burning wood is a costly and filthy affront to all that are invaded by it. Exposure to the smoke is extremely uncomfortable and causes burning eyes, dry and sore throat, irritation of the nasal passages, cardiovascular system damage, causes some types of cancer and brain damage, headaches, and allergic reactions, among other symptoms.
When smoke is prevalent in the area, people cannot open their windows for fresh air, because there is none. They cannot enjoy their own property due to the stench. Everyone should be able to relax in their own homes without the fear that they are being contaminated by toxic smoke. It is an environmental right of all people.
Please do all you can to prevent environmental and health problems for everyone today and for future generations. Please don’t burn. Let’s make this the most environmentally safe season for all!
Keeping the air clean-Letter to the Editor-ALA
Times-Herald
Serving Solano and Napa Counties since 1875
Keeping the air clean
Posted: 11/29/2008 07:05:48 AM PST
Thank you for the excellent article on the new wood burning regulation. The American Lung Association of California has been advocating for controls on harmful wood smoke pollution for more than a decade. Breathing particle pollution -- or soot -- can literally shorten life and send our most vulnerable residents to the emergency room. For asthmatic children, breathing wood smoke can lead to immediate harm, including asthma attacks and respiratory distress. Burning wood emits harmful toxins and fine particles in the air that can worsen breathing problems and lead to heart and lung disease and even early death and should be actively avoided by those with lung disease.
The American Lung Association strongly recommends using cleaner, less toxic sources of heat. Converting a wood-burning fireplace or stove to use either natural gas or propane will eliminate exposure to the dangerous toxins wood burning generates.
This new regulation will provide much needed protections to millions of Bay Area residents, particularly those people who have serious breathing problems.
For more information about the health effects of wood burning and cleaner burning alternatives to heating, please visit our Web site at www.lungusa.org or call 1-800-LUNG-USA. When you can't breathe, nothing else matters.
Jenny Bard
Regional Air Quality Director
American Lung Association of California
Santa Rosa
Serving Solano and Napa Counties since 1875
Keeping the air clean
Posted: 11/29/2008 07:05:48 AM PST
Thank you for the excellent article on the new wood burning regulation. The American Lung Association of California has been advocating for controls on harmful wood smoke pollution for more than a decade. Breathing particle pollution -- or soot -- can literally shorten life and send our most vulnerable residents to the emergency room. For asthmatic children, breathing wood smoke can lead to immediate harm, including asthma attacks and respiratory distress. Burning wood emits harmful toxins and fine particles in the air that can worsen breathing problems and lead to heart and lung disease and even early death and should be actively avoided by those with lung disease.
The American Lung Association strongly recommends using cleaner, less toxic sources of heat. Converting a wood-burning fireplace or stove to use either natural gas or propane will eliminate exposure to the dangerous toxins wood burning generates.
This new regulation will provide much needed protections to millions of Bay Area residents, particularly those people who have serious breathing problems.
For more information about the health effects of wood burning and cleaner burning alternatives to heating, please visit our Web site at www.lungusa.org or call 1-800-LUNG-USA. When you can't breathe, nothing else matters.
Jenny Bard
Regional Air Quality Director
American Lung Association of California
Santa Rosa
Letter to Editor-The London Free Press
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Letter to Editor
Published in The London Free Press on Nov. 22, 2008
UNLESS otherwise noted, these letters are to be considered unedited. The opinions expressed in the letters and comments are those of the writers and not of The London Free Press.
Environment
Wood smoke contributes to environmental damage
Regarding the column Neighbours' dispute defies reasonable resolution (Nov. 19).
It is about time people realized the harm they are doing to their neighbours and to the environment by burning wood.
Poor air quality and pollution are a serious problem that requires the 7co-operation and effort of everyone. One important contributor to air pollution is often ignored. Residential wood burning produces fine particles and gases that contain a multitude of toxic substances and carcinogens.
Burning wood and allowing it to foul the air of your neighbours is a rude and unnecessary assault on the senses of your neighbours. It causes many people, especially the young, the elderly and those with respiratory problems to be put in physical danger.
For those of you that are not aware of the dangers of wood smoke and are looking for scientific facts, visit www.burningissues.org. For those who want to see how I was affected by smoke release, visit my site at: http://woodburnersmoke.net.
POSTED BY: Shirley Brandie, Amherstburg
POSTED ON: November 22, 2008
EDITORS NOTE: As published in The London Free Press on Nov. 22, 2008
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Comments (on above letter posted on London Free Press newspaper web Blog)
A hole neighbour---Well Shirley considering this jack a@@ neighbour goes out there to smoke his brains out, I doubt very much he cares about smoke from burning wood. I feel terrible for this poor family that live beside this moron. It’s sad to have crappy neighbours. Some people just don't care about other people and only think of themselves. But hey nothing can be done....right !! LOL Ya just don't expect this city to help. Unless it’s a bylaw that puts money in their greedy hands then don't expect anything to change.
POSTED BY: N Hamilton
Gather evidence----I take daily readings of air quality with an inexpensive laser particle counter. Weekend evenings have consistently the very highest particle counts. These are very small diameter particles, in the one-half micron size (PM0.5) and come entirely from combustion. Strangely enough, counts as high as forty times that of a direct output of a car exhaust pipe have been present in my neighborhood air, along with the overpowering stench of wood smoke. It is very unhealthy to breathe air that is equivalent to 40 exhaust pipes blowing directly into one's face!
POSTED BY: Tom
Published in The London Free Press on Nov. 22, 2008
UNLESS otherwise noted, these letters are to be considered unedited. The opinions expressed in the letters and comments are those of the writers and not of The London Free Press.
Environment
Wood smoke contributes to environmental damage
Regarding the column Neighbours' dispute defies reasonable resolution (Nov. 19).
It is about time people realized the harm they are doing to their neighbours and to the environment by burning wood.
Poor air quality and pollution are a serious problem that requires the 7co-operation and effort of everyone. One important contributor to air pollution is often ignored. Residential wood burning produces fine particles and gases that contain a multitude of toxic substances and carcinogens.
Burning wood and allowing it to foul the air of your neighbours is a rude and unnecessary assault on the senses of your neighbours. It causes many people, especially the young, the elderly and those with respiratory problems to be put in physical danger.
For those of you that are not aware of the dangers of wood smoke and are looking for scientific facts, visit www.burningissues.org. For those who want to see how I was affected by smoke release, visit my site at: http://woodburnersmoke.net.
POSTED BY: Shirley Brandie, Amherstburg
POSTED ON: November 22, 2008
EDITORS NOTE: As published in The London Free Press on Nov. 22, 2008
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Comments (on above letter posted on London Free Press newspaper web Blog)
A hole neighbour---Well Shirley considering this jack a@@ neighbour goes out there to smoke his brains out, I doubt very much he cares about smoke from burning wood. I feel terrible for this poor family that live beside this moron. It’s sad to have crappy neighbours. Some people just don't care about other people and only think of themselves. But hey nothing can be done....right !! LOL Ya just don't expect this city to help. Unless it’s a bylaw that puts money in their greedy hands then don't expect anything to change.
POSTED BY: N Hamilton
Gather evidence----I take daily readings of air quality with an inexpensive laser particle counter. Weekend evenings have consistently the very highest particle counts. These are very small diameter particles, in the one-half micron size (PM0.5) and come entirely from combustion. Strangely enough, counts as high as forty times that of a direct output of a car exhaust pipe have been present in my neighborhood air, along with the overpowering stench of wood smoke. It is very unhealthy to breathe air that is equivalent to 40 exhaust pipes blowing directly into one's face!
POSTED BY: Tom
Blog comment---No intent to walk backwards a hundred years!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wood stove violations could result in fines
Monday, November 10 | 5:54 p.m.
BY:ERIK ROBINSON
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
Columbian.com Serving Clark County, Washington
Below is a blog comment on the above story.
by Roger Wilco : 11/11/08
Our grandparents would have loved a little box on the wall you could turn a knob or push a button and have heat without the mess and hassle of a wood stove! Not being a Beverly Hillbilly I have no intent to walk backwards a hundred years and return to an inefficient and archaic heat source. My heat pump with electric forced air backup is great. I can't imagine still having an old wood burning, steam powered TV set either!
Monday, November 10 | 5:54 p.m.
BY:ERIK ROBINSON
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
Columbian.com Serving Clark County, Washington
Below is a blog comment on the above story.
by Roger Wilco : 11/11/08
Our grandparents would have loved a little box on the wall you could turn a knob or push a button and have heat without the mess and hassle of a wood stove! Not being a Beverly Hillbilly I have no intent to walk backwards a hundred years and return to an inefficient and archaic heat source. My heat pump with electric forced air backup is great. I can't imagine still having an old wood burning, steam powered TV set either!
Looking for support for the attached petition
Monday, October 27, 2008
Looking for support for the attached petition. The link is at the bottom.
Thanks Vicki Morell
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Many people don't think of smoke from wood stoves and fireplaces as air pollution but it is. Wood smoke is a threat to our health, well-being and environment. It contains hundreds of air pollutants, including gases and fine particulate matter that can cause cancer and other serious health problems such as: blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, lung disease, asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and bronchitis; irritation of the lungs, throat, sinuses and eyes; headaches; allergenic reactions, increased hospital admissions and even premature death.
Wood smoke is now recognized as a major source of air pollution. At current levels, fine particulates are now considered the worst kind of air pollution in BC, causing more illness and deaths (from lung and heart disease) than ozone. In fact, new research in the United States suggests that fine particulates are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in that country each year.
Wood burning fireplaces and stoves can emit hundreds of times more pollution than any other form of heat such as natural gas, electricity, or oil. These particulates are so tiny that they are emitted both indoors and outdoors and come into non-burning homes through cracks, ventilation systems and around closed doors and windows.
Wood smoke toxins stay active in your body up to 40 times longer than tobacco smoke. According to Environment Canada, burning wood in a conventional wood stove for 9 hours emits as many particulates into the atmosphere as a car does traveling 18,000 km.
Fireplaces release six times more fine particulate matter than conventional stoves. This is the new second hand smoke.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
We, the undersigned, call on all local governments in the province of British Columbia to create or amend existing bylaws to protect the residents of British Columbia from the health hazards, pollution, nuisance and interruption to normal daily life from all residential wood burning smoke and odour. We hold the Government of British Columbia accountable to its residents for making sure that these bylaws are enforced and for fulfilling its commitment to stop smoke pollution (particulate matter) in order to protect our health and environment.
Petition link----http://www.gopetition.com/online/21466.html
Thanks Vicki Morell
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
Many people don't think of smoke from wood stoves and fireplaces as air pollution but it is. Wood smoke is a threat to our health, well-being and environment. It contains hundreds of air pollutants, including gases and fine particulate matter that can cause cancer and other serious health problems such as: blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, lung disease, asthma, emphysema, pneumonia and bronchitis; irritation of the lungs, throat, sinuses and eyes; headaches; allergenic reactions, increased hospital admissions and even premature death.
Wood smoke is now recognized as a major source of air pollution. At current levels, fine particulates are now considered the worst kind of air pollution in BC, causing more illness and deaths (from lung and heart disease) than ozone. In fact, new research in the United States suggests that fine particulates are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in that country each year.
Wood burning fireplaces and stoves can emit hundreds of times more pollution than any other form of heat such as natural gas, electricity, or oil. These particulates are so tiny that they are emitted both indoors and outdoors and come into non-burning homes through cracks, ventilation systems and around closed doors and windows.
Wood smoke toxins stay active in your body up to 40 times longer than tobacco smoke. According to Environment Canada, burning wood in a conventional wood stove for 9 hours emits as many particulates into the atmosphere as a car does traveling 18,000 km.
Fireplaces release six times more fine particulate matter than conventional stoves. This is the new second hand smoke.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
We, the undersigned, call on all local governments in the province of British Columbia to create or amend existing bylaws to protect the residents of British Columbia from the health hazards, pollution, nuisance and interruption to normal daily life from all residential wood burning smoke and odour. We hold the Government of British Columbia accountable to its residents for making sure that these bylaws are enforced and for fulfilling its commitment to stop smoke pollution (particulate matter) in order to protect our health and environment.
Petition link----http://www.gopetition.com/online/21466.html
Feeling the burn over back-yard fires (Article)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Feeling the burn over back-yard fires (Article)
As more people enjoy sitting around the back-yard fire pit, some neighbors are up in arms over the health risks from the smoke. (excerpt)
By TOM MEERSMAN
Star Tribune-Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
October 12, 2008
Below are some comments from the StarTribune.com blog on the above story...
Did you all miss the health hazard and toxic chemicals?
Maybe I should just hold you all down and stuff a cigarette in your mouth if you like it so much. We live next to "burners", and have family members with asthma, and it's a real problem. There is a reason smoking is banned, this will hopefully follow suit. It is not a "mind your own business" deal when what they do directly affects others. If it was a construction site spewing dust particulates everywhere, you would all be against it.
posted by bluebird74
What in the world are you thinking?
Campfires are irritants when you are camping. Remember the challenge of getting out of the way the smoke is blowing? If you or your child has asthma, you simply cannot have campfires, even when camping. The toxins released are worse than standing behind the diesel bus. If you think that people don't burn illegal brush etc just because someone at their house picked up a free permit once, you are naive. If you choose to have a campfire when you are out away from civilization and everyone breathing the smoke and pollutants is a part of your group, you have my blessing. However, I do not agree with my neighbors having the right to make my yard uninhabitable every weekend all summer and fall. Houses are so close and wind will do what it will, but I could sit on their decks and not get the smoke because it is blowing from both of their fires to my deck, away from their houses. No, we live too close in the suburbs for this to continue.
posted by georgina17
My son has asthma and because I live between three neighbors who, by the way, moved in two years after me, love their fires--day and night. We've been to the hospital several times this past spring and summer with each visit costing $50 plus the additional cost for his medicine, of which we did not use as frequently until they moved in. My neighbors have been told in a very kind manner that my son has asthma, but that has not been a consideration for them--they just keep burning and my son keeps suffering. How nice, NOT! Regulations come in when people start to show no considerations for others which cancels out the "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS" statement. Just be considerate. Burn less often so we all can enjoy the outdoors!
posted by AdrienneBTW
These fires are just like 2nd hand smoke
They are awful. They stink. It's just a moron or two per neighborhood that keep having these fires. This is a city, not a campground. Our houses are too close together. I hope they ban the fires.
posted by dgb04
Warm your backyard and the globe
Improving air quality is an on-going and uphill battle, and Campfires are a significant source of air pollution in Minneapolis that is totally avoidable. In fact, a campfire produces signifcantly more greenhouse gases than a car. Benzene, C02 and other harmful pollutants are all produced by outdoor recreational fires. According to some studies, a wood fire can emit as many fine particles into the air in nine hours as does a a mid-size automobile traveling 11,000 mile in one year. (http://www.eauquebec.com/air/chauf-bois/index-en.htm) Many progressive cities such as Seattle have limited or banned outdoor fires during poor air quality periods, and sometimes banned them altogether. With air quality concerns in Minneapolis, it seems like an issue the city should be taking seriously. posted by styopr
Rednecks wanting their "rights."
What part of asthma isn't serious to those of you touting the constitution? It is a real medical problem, as are other respiratory diseases. Should we all still be able to smoke in the break room at work or maybe on a plane? C'mon, those in the vicinity of the toxic smoke should just "get over it." Burn all the smoke you want in your own house, but when it is making mine stink, you've invaded MY rights. posted by bluebird74
I just got back from Beijing where everybody burns everything, and even in the country the air looks like a forest fire is in progress. Yes, smoke is bad for you.
posted by betty6114
No place for campfires in the city.
Campfires belong at campgrounds not in your densely populated neighborhood in the city...
posted by phishe
Your Rights End Where Mine Begin!
No one has a right to case hardship and harm to others, especially if it is for something as trivial as their personal amusement. Ban the backyard fires, fireplaces, and the charcoal grills too! It is time to bring Minnesota out of the stone age.
posted by RogK
Not a problem until very recently...
I wonder if this was not a problem in the past because the medical profession failed to recognize asthma and its causes -- so asthmatic children and adults simply died and no one understood that the smoke and pollutants killed them off.
Now we know and understand the condition, and have the means to minimize or even prevent the situations that would harm these people -- this knowledge and understanding also forces upon us the responsibility to not harm our neighbors. As much as we may enjoy a fire, if it produces pollutants that harm our neighbors, it is our responsibility to move the fire to where our neighbors won't be harmed -- like large open parks, out in the country, or a campground away from civilization.
posted by Zarepheth
Outdoor wood boiler
We have a neighbor who can burn 3-5 cords of wood in a densely populated neighborhood. The stink fills the surrounding three homes and bothers maybe another 8-10 homes. This system supplies heat for his home and heats hot water..it used to heat his outdoor pool till city ordinance won't allow him to burn during the summer. He can burn Oct1 thru April. The smoke is rancid, smells like an outdoor fire that is smoldering or has just had water thrown on it to extinguish it. We had healthy, clean air before this boiler system was fired up...I'd like comments to maybe get the city council to regulate it more or only allow them in the country or where the owner has a certain amount of acreage or distances from neighbors. He has one neighbor who's house is within 100 feet of the smoke stack.
posted by bploushine
More..outdoor boiler
I didn't mention that the boiler burned for 180 consecutive days..24 hours a day. We live in suburb 30 miles from St Paul. The smoke is heavy, rancid and loaded with particulate. Why should I have to close my windows and not let my furnace pull in outside air...so he can heat his house and hot water.
posted by bploushine
NO FIRE PITS!!!
I hate the smell of a campfire in a city. It's inconsiderate air pollution. If you want to do it, you should have to get a permit or your should just go camping. Those people siting up several square blocks just so they can have a couple brews around a fire. And no, it's nothing like a fire in your fireplace. Chimneys ensure the smoke goes up and fireplaces are only used in the winter months when everyone has their windows shut.
posted by cartoonconn
Idiots!
The problem is not the increase in regulation... its the decrease (or total loss) of respect for others and accepting responsibility for your actions. A fire pit or outdoor wood boiler in a densely populated area is a problem because the smoke doesn't have space or air movement to adequately diffuse to levels that aren't a nuisance (or health risk, in some cases) to neighbors. Some posters are correct in that burning dry material under ideal conditions will provide a lower-particulate flue, which is less likely to bother neighbors, but still you need the air movement and room for diffusion. I'm so mad right now, I could spit!
posted by Juggernaut
We all have a right to comfortable living
Unless you suffer from asthma, you will never understand how dangerous it is to be breathing this smoke. I had a friend's parent die from asthma in her sleep, how would all you "fun" people feel about that consequence? If you want a campfire, go camping where people expect to smell them. And, as far as other sources being more of an environmental hazard, I cannot believe I'm hearing that in this day and time. We ALL need to do whatever we can to alleviate pollutants in our air - every step is a step in the right direction. Don't be selfish, be responsible.
posted by pruitttm
For the last 5 years I have called the Pollution Control Department of Minn., the police, the fire department, my Champlin City Councilman,and the Mayor.One of our neighbors were burning wet leaves. The other neighbors burn trash. One night, they were burning caustic materials. Our eyes were burning and my husband had to put on a mask. He was working in the garage. This same neighbor was burning something that was so strong, I had to go inside. I was planting flowers in my garden. I do have to close windows so my entire house does not reek. All of these Public Servants, told me that the neighbors were not breaking laws and there was NOT ANYTHING that they could do. But I told them they were burning illegal items. We have asked and asked them to quit burning. They start the fires in their pit and leave. I have called about unattended fires, but no one seems to care. When I enter into Champliin from another city, you can actually see the clouds of dirty smoke, and the smell is overpowering. I don't think We should have to breath in this terrible pollution. We have a right to breath clean air. However no one seems to take this seriously. I'm not a complainer, but when our health is in danger, I feel I have to try to stop this pollution
posted by KathyPeyer
City Officials Should Ban Backyard Burners
If I'm not mistaken, there has been a law against burning trash in the metro area for decades and these backyard firepit/burners seem to be a loophole on this law. It would be a good issue for the city councils of all metro areas to put on their agendas.
posted by Minnepeach19
Great if it didn't affect anyone else!
Unfortunately, burning is an activity that when engaged in by one neighbor may infringe on others. My mother has allergies and was sick with a severe headache for three days when a neighbor had a bonfire. Unfortunately, there is no way to keep the smoke just in the yard of those partaking. So, as much as people here want to make it about individual rights, it isn't about that. You can do whatever you choose in your own house/yard but when that activity affects others who are minding their own business in their own homes, you need to consider them. It's about being considerate to others! Something we need a little more of these days!
posted by karikd
My neighbors don't have any sense
I have asthma and my neighbor's fires do make me ill, especially because he burns garbage, yard waste, plastic, wet wood, etc. I keep my windows closed all summer but it still seeps in since the air conditioner has to take in air. When asked to stop or at least stop burning after midnight he tells me to call the police (which I will the next time). It's hard for nice people to understand that many peoples' neighbors are not nice and don't have sense.
posted by cloyd42
oops Hello all: To the firepit burners who are telling the recipients of their smoke pollution to "go inside and close their windows" A house is not hermetically sealed. There is always a certain amount of air leakage around even tightly-closed doors and windows. Within that air leakage are ultrafine particles (PM2.5) as well as significant amounts of carbon monoxide, from combustion. Indoor air pollution is a function of outdoor air pollution. When particulate levels rise outside, they rise inside too, to the extent that there can be up to 70% of the pollution indoors as there is outdoors.
posted by cleanair
Web master: Thank you for your comments on this story.
As more people enjoy sitting around the back-yard fire pit, some neighbors are up in arms over the health risks from the smoke. (excerpt)
By TOM MEERSMAN
Star Tribune-Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
October 12, 2008
Below are some comments from the StarTribune.com blog on the above story...
Did you all miss the health hazard and toxic chemicals?
Maybe I should just hold you all down and stuff a cigarette in your mouth if you like it so much. We live next to "burners", and have family members with asthma, and it's a real problem. There is a reason smoking is banned, this will hopefully follow suit. It is not a "mind your own business" deal when what they do directly affects others. If it was a construction site spewing dust particulates everywhere, you would all be against it.
posted by bluebird74
What in the world are you thinking?
Campfires are irritants when you are camping. Remember the challenge of getting out of the way the smoke is blowing? If you or your child has asthma, you simply cannot have campfires, even when camping. The toxins released are worse than standing behind the diesel bus. If you think that people don't burn illegal brush etc just because someone at their house picked up a free permit once, you are naive. If you choose to have a campfire when you are out away from civilization and everyone breathing the smoke and pollutants is a part of your group, you have my blessing. However, I do not agree with my neighbors having the right to make my yard uninhabitable every weekend all summer and fall. Houses are so close and wind will do what it will, but I could sit on their decks and not get the smoke because it is blowing from both of their fires to my deck, away from their houses. No, we live too close in the suburbs for this to continue.
posted by georgina17
My son has asthma and because I live between three neighbors who, by the way, moved in two years after me, love their fires--day and night. We've been to the hospital several times this past spring and summer with each visit costing $50 plus the additional cost for his medicine, of which we did not use as frequently until they moved in. My neighbors have been told in a very kind manner that my son has asthma, but that has not been a consideration for them--they just keep burning and my son keeps suffering. How nice, NOT! Regulations come in when people start to show no considerations for others which cancels out the "MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS" statement. Just be considerate. Burn less often so we all can enjoy the outdoors!
posted by AdrienneBTW
These fires are just like 2nd hand smoke
They are awful. They stink. It's just a moron or two per neighborhood that keep having these fires. This is a city, not a campground. Our houses are too close together. I hope they ban the fires.
posted by dgb04
Warm your backyard and the globe
Improving air quality is an on-going and uphill battle, and Campfires are a significant source of air pollution in Minneapolis that is totally avoidable. In fact, a campfire produces signifcantly more greenhouse gases than a car. Benzene, C02 and other harmful pollutants are all produced by outdoor recreational fires. According to some studies, a wood fire can emit as many fine particles into the air in nine hours as does a a mid-size automobile traveling 11,000 mile in one year. (http://www.eauquebec.com/air/chauf-bois/index-en.htm) Many progressive cities such as Seattle have limited or banned outdoor fires during poor air quality periods, and sometimes banned them altogether. With air quality concerns in Minneapolis, it seems like an issue the city should be taking seriously. posted by styopr
Rednecks wanting their "rights."
What part of asthma isn't serious to those of you touting the constitution? It is a real medical problem, as are other respiratory diseases. Should we all still be able to smoke in the break room at work or maybe on a plane? C'mon, those in the vicinity of the toxic smoke should just "get over it." Burn all the smoke you want in your own house, but when it is making mine stink, you've invaded MY rights. posted by bluebird74
I just got back from Beijing where everybody burns everything, and even in the country the air looks like a forest fire is in progress. Yes, smoke is bad for you.
posted by betty6114
No place for campfires in the city.
Campfires belong at campgrounds not in your densely populated neighborhood in the city...
posted by phishe
Your Rights End Where Mine Begin!
No one has a right to case hardship and harm to others, especially if it is for something as trivial as their personal amusement. Ban the backyard fires, fireplaces, and the charcoal grills too! It is time to bring Minnesota out of the stone age.
posted by RogK
Not a problem until very recently...
I wonder if this was not a problem in the past because the medical profession failed to recognize asthma and its causes -- so asthmatic children and adults simply died and no one understood that the smoke and pollutants killed them off.
Now we know and understand the condition, and have the means to minimize or even prevent the situations that would harm these people -- this knowledge and understanding also forces upon us the responsibility to not harm our neighbors. As much as we may enjoy a fire, if it produces pollutants that harm our neighbors, it is our responsibility to move the fire to where our neighbors won't be harmed -- like large open parks, out in the country, or a campground away from civilization.
posted by Zarepheth
Outdoor wood boiler
We have a neighbor who can burn 3-5 cords of wood in a densely populated neighborhood. The stink fills the surrounding three homes and bothers maybe another 8-10 homes. This system supplies heat for his home and heats hot water..it used to heat his outdoor pool till city ordinance won't allow him to burn during the summer. He can burn Oct1 thru April. The smoke is rancid, smells like an outdoor fire that is smoldering or has just had water thrown on it to extinguish it. We had healthy, clean air before this boiler system was fired up...I'd like comments to maybe get the city council to regulate it more or only allow them in the country or where the owner has a certain amount of acreage or distances from neighbors. He has one neighbor who's house is within 100 feet of the smoke stack.
posted by bploushine
More..outdoor boiler
I didn't mention that the boiler burned for 180 consecutive days..24 hours a day. We live in suburb 30 miles from St Paul. The smoke is heavy, rancid and loaded with particulate. Why should I have to close my windows and not let my furnace pull in outside air...so he can heat his house and hot water.
posted by bploushine
NO FIRE PITS!!!
I hate the smell of a campfire in a city. It's inconsiderate air pollution. If you want to do it, you should have to get a permit or your should just go camping. Those people siting up several square blocks just so they can have a couple brews around a fire. And no, it's nothing like a fire in your fireplace. Chimneys ensure the smoke goes up and fireplaces are only used in the winter months when everyone has their windows shut.
posted by cartoonconn
Idiots!
The problem is not the increase in regulation... its the decrease (or total loss) of respect for others and accepting responsibility for your actions. A fire pit or outdoor wood boiler in a densely populated area is a problem because the smoke doesn't have space or air movement to adequately diffuse to levels that aren't a nuisance (or health risk, in some cases) to neighbors. Some posters are correct in that burning dry material under ideal conditions will provide a lower-particulate flue, which is less likely to bother neighbors, but still you need the air movement and room for diffusion. I'm so mad right now, I could spit!
posted by Juggernaut
We all have a right to comfortable living
Unless you suffer from asthma, you will never understand how dangerous it is to be breathing this smoke. I had a friend's parent die from asthma in her sleep, how would all you "fun" people feel about that consequence? If you want a campfire, go camping where people expect to smell them. And, as far as other sources being more of an environmental hazard, I cannot believe I'm hearing that in this day and time. We ALL need to do whatever we can to alleviate pollutants in our air - every step is a step in the right direction. Don't be selfish, be responsible.
posted by pruitttm
For the last 5 years I have called the Pollution Control Department of Minn., the police, the fire department, my Champlin City Councilman,and the Mayor.One of our neighbors were burning wet leaves. The other neighbors burn trash. One night, they were burning caustic materials. Our eyes were burning and my husband had to put on a mask. He was working in the garage. This same neighbor was burning something that was so strong, I had to go inside. I was planting flowers in my garden. I do have to close windows so my entire house does not reek. All of these Public Servants, told me that the neighbors were not breaking laws and there was NOT ANYTHING that they could do. But I told them they were burning illegal items. We have asked and asked them to quit burning. They start the fires in their pit and leave. I have called about unattended fires, but no one seems to care. When I enter into Champliin from another city, you can actually see the clouds of dirty smoke, and the smell is overpowering. I don't think We should have to breath in this terrible pollution. We have a right to breath clean air. However no one seems to take this seriously. I'm not a complainer, but when our health is in danger, I feel I have to try to stop this pollution
posted by KathyPeyer
City Officials Should Ban Backyard Burners
If I'm not mistaken, there has been a law against burning trash in the metro area for decades and these backyard firepit/burners seem to be a loophole on this law. It would be a good issue for the city councils of all metro areas to put on their agendas.
posted by Minnepeach19
Great if it didn't affect anyone else!
Unfortunately, burning is an activity that when engaged in by one neighbor may infringe on others. My mother has allergies and was sick with a severe headache for three days when a neighbor had a bonfire. Unfortunately, there is no way to keep the smoke just in the yard of those partaking. So, as much as people here want to make it about individual rights, it isn't about that. You can do whatever you choose in your own house/yard but when that activity affects others who are minding their own business in their own homes, you need to consider them. It's about being considerate to others! Something we need a little more of these days!
posted by karikd
My neighbors don't have any sense
I have asthma and my neighbor's fires do make me ill, especially because he burns garbage, yard waste, plastic, wet wood, etc. I keep my windows closed all summer but it still seeps in since the air conditioner has to take in air. When asked to stop or at least stop burning after midnight he tells me to call the police (which I will the next time). It's hard for nice people to understand that many peoples' neighbors are not nice and don't have sense.
posted by cloyd42
oops Hello all: To the firepit burners who are telling the recipients of their smoke pollution to "go inside and close their windows" A house is not hermetically sealed. There is always a certain amount of air leakage around even tightly-closed doors and windows. Within that air leakage are ultrafine particles (PM2.5) as well as significant amounts of carbon monoxide, from combustion. Indoor air pollution is a function of outdoor air pollution. When particulate levels rise outside, they rise inside too, to the extent that there can be up to 70% of the pollution indoors as there is outdoors.
posted by cleanair
Web master: Thank you for your comments on this story.
American Lung Association Cautions Against Wood-burning
Friday, October 3, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C., (September 29, 2008) – As cooler temperatures begin to mark the beginning of fall, the American Lung Association warns that the comfort of a roaring fire can be harmful to your health and have a negative impact on both indoor and outdoor air quality. Burning wood emits harmful toxins and fine particles in the air that can worsen breathing problems and lead to heart and lung disease and even early death.
“With energy costs at an all time high, we are concerned about the potential impact the increased reliance on wood burning, particularly the use of wood stoves, might have on both the environment and the families who rely primarily on this method of home heating this winter,” said Bernadette Toomey President and CEO of the American Lung Association.
Wood smoke poses a special threat to people with asthma and COPD and should be actively avoided by those with lung disease. When possible, the American Lung Association strongly recommends using cleaner, less toxic sources of heat. Converting a wood-burning fireplace or stove to use either natural gas or propane will eliminate exposure to the dangerous toxins wood burning generates including dioxin, arsenic and formaldehyde.
“Wood stoves manufactured before 1995 should be replaced with one that is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency and that meets the stricter standards set by the State of Washington,” noted Toomey. “Vented natural gas or certified wood and pellet stoves are suitable replacements, as is installing an electric, natural gas or propane furnace.”
Although both natural gas and propane stoves are much cleaner than their wood-burning alternatives, these devices must be directly vented outside the home to reduce exposure to carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other emissions produced by these energy sources. Advertising claims suggest otherwise, however the American Lung Association warns that gas and propane stoves can be a threat to any family’s health without proper outdoor ventilation.
When building a fire, the American Lung Association urges homeowners to take needed steps to build a cleaner fire to reduce the level of toxic emissions. Burn only100 percent untreated wood or manufactured fireplace logs. Wood should be purchased early in the year and be stored in a covered place for at least six months before use. This will allow the wood sufficient time to dry thoroughly and ultimately will burn more efficiently and will emit less pollution.
The American Lung Association also cautions against burning other materials such as colored paper, plastics, rubber and trash. These items generate more harmful chemicals, increased pollution and produce less heat than untreated wood or manufactured fireplace logs.
“It is also important to comply with local burn bans and to not burn wood or other materials during these times,” added Toomey. “Every single chimney and wood-burning stove can have an impact on the air quality in your home and in your community.”
The American Lung Association also advises home owners to be mindful of the weather. When air is cold and still, temperature inversions trap wood smoke and other pollutants close to the ground. Wood-burning should be avoided on hazy, windless days and nights.
About the American Lung Association: Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates are currently increasing while other major causes of death are declining. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872)
“With energy costs at an all time high, we are concerned about the potential impact the increased reliance on wood burning, particularly the use of wood stoves, might have on both the environment and the families who rely primarily on this method of home heating this winter,” said Bernadette Toomey President and CEO of the American Lung Association.
Wood smoke poses a special threat to people with asthma and COPD and should be actively avoided by those with lung disease. When possible, the American Lung Association strongly recommends using cleaner, less toxic sources of heat. Converting a wood-burning fireplace or stove to use either natural gas or propane will eliminate exposure to the dangerous toxins wood burning generates including dioxin, arsenic and formaldehyde.
“Wood stoves manufactured before 1995 should be replaced with one that is certified by the Environmental Protection Agency and that meets the stricter standards set by the State of Washington,” noted Toomey. “Vented natural gas or certified wood and pellet stoves are suitable replacements, as is installing an electric, natural gas or propane furnace.”
Although both natural gas and propane stoves are much cleaner than their wood-burning alternatives, these devices must be directly vented outside the home to reduce exposure to carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other emissions produced by these energy sources. Advertising claims suggest otherwise, however the American Lung Association warns that gas and propane stoves can be a threat to any family’s health without proper outdoor ventilation.
When building a fire, the American Lung Association urges homeowners to take needed steps to build a cleaner fire to reduce the level of toxic emissions. Burn only100 percent untreated wood or manufactured fireplace logs. Wood should be purchased early in the year and be stored in a covered place for at least six months before use. This will allow the wood sufficient time to dry thoroughly and ultimately will burn more efficiently and will emit less pollution.
The American Lung Association also cautions against burning other materials such as colored paper, plastics, rubber and trash. These items generate more harmful chemicals, increased pollution and produce less heat than untreated wood or manufactured fireplace logs.
“It is also important to comply with local burn bans and to not burn wood or other materials during these times,” added Toomey. “Every single chimney and wood-burning stove can have an impact on the air quality in your home and in your community.”
The American Lung Association also advises home owners to be mindful of the weather. When air is cold and still, temperature inversions trap wood smoke and other pollutants close to the ground. Wood-burning should be avoided on hazy, windless days and nights.
About the American Lung Association: Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates are currently increasing while other major causes of death are declining. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872)
Wood Smoke---Not Greener---Letter to the Editor
Voice of the People
Letter to the Editor
Chicago Tribune Newspaper
October 2, 2008
Wood Smoke...Greener?
By holding up a person who uses a wood stove to heat his house as "Chicago's greenest person," the Tribune encourages behavior that would create an unmitigated public health disaster if widely adopted ("Chicago's green giant; Tempo went hunting for the Chicagoan who has the lowest carbon footprint; We found him: Ken Dunn, who rides his bike year-round, eats homegrown vegetables and otherwise leads a sustainable lifestyle," Tempo, Sept. 23).
Wood smoke is deadly. Encouraging the use of wood for home heating under the guise of "being green" will hurt hundreds of thousands of people with lung and heart conditions.
Much as it was 100 years ago, thousands of preventable deaths would occur if wood heating became widespread.
Brian Urbaszewski Director, Environmental Health Program, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago .
Web Master note--We were surprised that the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (formerly known as the Chicago Lung Association) has finally acknowledged the wood smoke health crisis facing Chicago, Illinois, and the nation.
In the past, we contacted the Chicago, Illinois, and national American Lung Association regarding their efforts and plans to alert the public and elected officials about the deadly effects of wood smoke emissions. Their response was that wood smoke was not on their agenda and ignored our request for help on this issue. We appreciate Mr. Urbaszewski’s letter. Maybe the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society will finally join us in our efforts to improve the quality of life of millions, and help prevent the lives of hundreds of thousands being destroyed by wood smoke emissions. We can only hope!
Letter to the Editor
Chicago Tribune Newspaper
October 2, 2008
Wood Smoke...Greener?
By holding up a person who uses a wood stove to heat his house as "Chicago's greenest person," the Tribune encourages behavior that would create an unmitigated public health disaster if widely adopted ("Chicago's green giant; Tempo went hunting for the Chicagoan who has the lowest carbon footprint; We found him: Ken Dunn, who rides his bike year-round, eats homegrown vegetables and otherwise leads a sustainable lifestyle," Tempo, Sept. 23).
Wood smoke is deadly. Encouraging the use of wood for home heating under the guise of "being green" will hurt hundreds of thousands of people with lung and heart conditions.
Much as it was 100 years ago, thousands of preventable deaths would occur if wood heating became widespread.
Brian Urbaszewski Director, Environmental Health Program, Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago .
Web Master note--We were surprised that the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago (formerly known as the Chicago Lung Association) has finally acknowledged the wood smoke health crisis facing Chicago, Illinois, and the nation.
In the past, we contacted the Chicago, Illinois, and national American Lung Association regarding their efforts and plans to alert the public and elected officials about the deadly effects of wood smoke emissions. Their response was that wood smoke was not on their agenda and ignored our request for help on this issue. We appreciate Mr. Urbaszewski’s letter. Maybe the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society will finally join us in our efforts to improve the quality of life of millions, and help prevent the lives of hundreds of thousands being destroyed by wood smoke emissions. We can only hope!
Smoke of fire pits stinks
Saturday, September 20, 2008
ArgusLeader.com
Dan T. Donahoe • Sioux Falls • September 20, 2008
I read with great interest Peggy Ellingston's recent letter in the Argus Leader, "Fire pit smoke fills fresh air."
I must agree with her completely.
It doesn't seem too difficult to understand that when people live in a city or village, in close proximity to one another, the byproducts of wood burning (smoke, carcinogenic matter, noxious chemistry and odor) will impact someone nearby.
This leads me to wonder why adults would engage in this type of entertainment? Possibly they don't understand the impact.
I would like to challenge the wood burners to answer these questions:
When your fire pit is burning, do you leave the windows of your home open?
When there is a wind, which side of the pit do you sit on?
Now I could be wrong, but my guess is that you do not leave the windows of your home open as your fire pit is smoking and burning. I also would bet that you sit in a position where you are not in the direct path of the smoke, fumes and other byproducts of your fire.
Herein lies the problem.
Unfortunately, your neighbor, who is getting smoked out by your recreational fire, cannot move his house out of the path of your smoke. You, on the other hand, just can get up and move your chair away from the smoke and stink.
So I challenge you recreational wood burners to sit in the smoke and stink of your fire instead of moving your chair to the fresh-air side. I also challenge you to leave the windows of your home open while you burn your pit.
Especially if the wind is blowing the smoke into your home.
If you walk a mile in your neighbors' shoes, you might be a bit more considerate the next time the wind is blowing and you want to light up that pit.
+++++
Additional comments from people that responded to the above letter...
1...Great letter! At my mom's house in Okoboji, her neighbors are constantly using their fire pit and it ALWAYS invades her house. She is not a fan of air conditioning but has to do this so it doesn't smell like a bonfire in there. It is rude and thoughtless. I can't burn my leaves in the city, why can people have fire pits?
2...Good points. I might add this is a health hazard for people with asthma. So people should respect their neighbors and not have these open fires, if the neighbor has a concern about it. Sadly, common consideration and good citizenship is not common anymore.
Thanks for the interesting letter.
Dan T. Donahoe • Sioux Falls • September 20, 2008
I read with great interest Peggy Ellingston's recent letter in the Argus Leader, "Fire pit smoke fills fresh air."
I must agree with her completely.
It doesn't seem too difficult to understand that when people live in a city or village, in close proximity to one another, the byproducts of wood burning (smoke, carcinogenic matter, noxious chemistry and odor) will impact someone nearby.
This leads me to wonder why adults would engage in this type of entertainment? Possibly they don't understand the impact.
I would like to challenge the wood burners to answer these questions:
When your fire pit is burning, do you leave the windows of your home open?
When there is a wind, which side of the pit do you sit on?
Now I could be wrong, but my guess is that you do not leave the windows of your home open as your fire pit is smoking and burning. I also would bet that you sit in a position where you are not in the direct path of the smoke, fumes and other byproducts of your fire.
Herein lies the problem.
Unfortunately, your neighbor, who is getting smoked out by your recreational fire, cannot move his house out of the path of your smoke. You, on the other hand, just can get up and move your chair away from the smoke and stink.
So I challenge you recreational wood burners to sit in the smoke and stink of your fire instead of moving your chair to the fresh-air side. I also challenge you to leave the windows of your home open while you burn your pit.
Especially if the wind is blowing the smoke into your home.
If you walk a mile in your neighbors' shoes, you might be a bit more considerate the next time the wind is blowing and you want to light up that pit.
+++++
Additional comments from people that responded to the above letter...
1...Great letter! At my mom's house in Okoboji, her neighbors are constantly using their fire pit and it ALWAYS invades her house. She is not a fan of air conditioning but has to do this so it doesn't smell like a bonfire in there. It is rude and thoughtless. I can't burn my leaves in the city, why can people have fire pits?
2...Good points. I might add this is a health hazard for people with asthma. So people should respect their neighbors and not have these open fires, if the neighbor has a concern about it. Sadly, common consideration and good citizenship is not common anymore.
Thanks for the interesting letter.
An Ohio state senator’s letter supporting Outdoor Wood Boilers
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Times-Gazette
Hillsboro, Ohio
September 9, 2008
Re: An Ohio state senator’s letter supporting Outdoor Wood Boilers
And a response…..
Posted: Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Article comment by: mary smith
Senator Carey needs to have an OWB next to his house so he can experience 24/7 OWB smoke exposure first hand. You can't fully understand what you haven't personally experienced. And to use the argument that "Many Ohioans have invested thousands of dollars to install wood boilers..." doesn't acknowledge that the OWB neighbors have also spent thousands of dollars on their gas or oil heating systems and on purchasing their properties. OWB smoke drifting across a property line is trespass. OWB smoke is thick, heavy and toxic and creates a public health hazard. That nice wood smoke smell is caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known human carcinogens. The Ohio legislature needs to understand that OWB emissions exceed what existing Ohio EPA air pollution laws allow for visible emissions, particulates and toxic air emissions, and no person should have to tolerate smoke constantly in their homes and on their property. Ohio legislators need to learn that OWB smoke contains unhealthy levels of toxic air pollutants. Just 'cause we've burned wood for thousands of years doesn't mean that it's harmless. Remember, we used to make our water pipes out of lead 'cause we didn't know any better. We used to cover our houses in asbestos 'cause we didn't know any better. We used to fill our teeth with mercury 'cause we didn't know any better. We know better than to force people to live in a cloud of toxic wood smoke. Even a 2-year old will get out of the way of smoke. But, you can't get your house out of the way when the OWB is next door.
Web master comment---we agree!
Hillsboro, Ohio
September 9, 2008
Re: An Ohio state senator’s letter supporting Outdoor Wood Boilers
And a response…..
Posted: Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Article comment by: mary smith
Senator Carey needs to have an OWB next to his house so he can experience 24/7 OWB smoke exposure first hand. You can't fully understand what you haven't personally experienced. And to use the argument that "Many Ohioans have invested thousands of dollars to install wood boilers..." doesn't acknowledge that the OWB neighbors have also spent thousands of dollars on their gas or oil heating systems and on purchasing their properties. OWB smoke drifting across a property line is trespass. OWB smoke is thick, heavy and toxic and creates a public health hazard. That nice wood smoke smell is caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known human carcinogens. The Ohio legislature needs to understand that OWB emissions exceed what existing Ohio EPA air pollution laws allow for visible emissions, particulates and toxic air emissions, and no person should have to tolerate smoke constantly in their homes and on their property. Ohio legislators need to learn that OWB smoke contains unhealthy levels of toxic air pollutants. Just 'cause we've burned wood for thousands of years doesn't mean that it's harmless. Remember, we used to make our water pipes out of lead 'cause we didn't know any better. We used to cover our houses in asbestos 'cause we didn't know any better. We used to fill our teeth with mercury 'cause we didn't know any better. We know better than to force people to live in a cloud of toxic wood smoke. Even a 2-year old will get out of the way of smoke. But, you can't get your house out of the way when the OWB is next door.
Web master comment---we agree!
All Fired up: the urban fire pit dilemna-article
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
All fired up: the urban fire pit dilemma
By Lisa Albert for Sunset Magazine
July 17, 2008
I fall in love easily—with gardens and plants, that is. When touring a garden, admiration and joy grows with each step I take and with each plant I discover. Unfortunately, that bliss fades abruptly when I stumble upon the latest must-have garden addition: the wood-burning fire feature.
The haze of second-hand smoke obscures the view.
I have asthma, along with 22.9 million other Americans. It is the leading chronic childhood illness in the U.S. Although asthma can be fatal, thankfully deaths are infrequent. But it is an expensive disease, costing the U.S. economy around $19.7 billion each year (American Lung Association).
Smoke is a powerful trigger; avoidance of it shapes my life. I’ve given up activities that brought me joy, including camping with my family, for what is camping without a campfire? I’ve accepted these limitations but I’m struggling with those imposed by smoke from recreational fires.
In the last four years, I’ve had to give up time in my garden and shut my windows to cool night breezes due to wood smoke in the neighborhood. I can’t see the fire burning in someone’s backyard whether it’s next door, down the street, or two blocks over. I have no warning that my next breath will include smoke’s deadly particles, and then it’s too late to prevent an attack. Four weeks ago, a neighbor’s smoky fire triggered an attack so severe I thought I’d need hospitalization. It took me four miserable days to recover.
Most people aren’t aware of wood smoke’s impact on air quality, its effect on health and wellbeing, or that these inefficient wood-burning features are a growing source of pollution throughout the U.S. “Each fire emits close to one pound of smoke pollution, with 90% being in the deadly smaller than one micron range.” (Clean Air Revival). Municipalities are banning these polluting features. In many areas, when a fire or its smoke endangers another’s health or property, it is deemed “hostile” and local authorities will extinguish the fire (enforcement agencies vary by region). That certainly would put a damper on an evening of fun around a fire with family and friends.
The good news is that there are cleaner-burning alternatives, including natural gas, propane, denatured alcohol, and Java-Log. Even better, the first three options open up a world of design possibilities for our gardens. Instead of the ubiquitous metal bowl with last night’s charred remains, imagine an artful piece crafted of metal and stone. By day, it is a stunning, creative garden feature. When lit at night, it surprises, pleases, and warms guests without masking intoxicating garden fragrances, such as star jasmine, gardenia, and angel’s trumpet.
Fortunately, we can have our fire and clean air, too.
source article
http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2008/07/all-fired-up-th.html
By Lisa Albert for Sunset Magazine
July 17, 2008
I fall in love easily—with gardens and plants, that is. When touring a garden, admiration and joy grows with each step I take and with each plant I discover. Unfortunately, that bliss fades abruptly when I stumble upon the latest must-have garden addition: the wood-burning fire feature.
The haze of second-hand smoke obscures the view.
I have asthma, along with 22.9 million other Americans. It is the leading chronic childhood illness in the U.S. Although asthma can be fatal, thankfully deaths are infrequent. But it is an expensive disease, costing the U.S. economy around $19.7 billion each year (American Lung Association).
Smoke is a powerful trigger; avoidance of it shapes my life. I’ve given up activities that brought me joy, including camping with my family, for what is camping without a campfire? I’ve accepted these limitations but I’m struggling with those imposed by smoke from recreational fires.
In the last four years, I’ve had to give up time in my garden and shut my windows to cool night breezes due to wood smoke in the neighborhood. I can’t see the fire burning in someone’s backyard whether it’s next door, down the street, or two blocks over. I have no warning that my next breath will include smoke’s deadly particles, and then it’s too late to prevent an attack. Four weeks ago, a neighbor’s smoky fire triggered an attack so severe I thought I’d need hospitalization. It took me four miserable days to recover.
Most people aren’t aware of wood smoke’s impact on air quality, its effect on health and wellbeing, or that these inefficient wood-burning features are a growing source of pollution throughout the U.S. “Each fire emits close to one pound of smoke pollution, with 90% being in the deadly smaller than one micron range.” (Clean Air Revival). Municipalities are banning these polluting features. In many areas, when a fire or its smoke endangers another’s health or property, it is deemed “hostile” and local authorities will extinguish the fire (enforcement agencies vary by region). That certainly would put a damper on an evening of fun around a fire with family and friends.
The good news is that there are cleaner-burning alternatives, including natural gas, propane, denatured alcohol, and Java-Log. Even better, the first three options open up a world of design possibilities for our gardens. Instead of the ubiquitous metal bowl with last night’s charred remains, imagine an artful piece crafted of metal and stone. By day, it is a stunning, creative garden feature. When lit at night, it surprises, pleases, and warms guests without masking intoxicating garden fragrances, such as star jasmine, gardenia, and angel’s trumpet.
Fortunately, we can have our fire and clean air, too.
source article
http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2008/07/all-fired-up-th.html
Letter to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Monday, June 23, 2008
URGENT---Letter to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
Everyone should read this dynamic, factual, and straightforward letter (and supplemental documents) individually researched and written by a Supporter of the Breathe Healthy Air Coalition.
Here are excerpts from the letter presented to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.......
RE:
"As the rest of the country is “Going Green”, the residents of Illinois continue to pollute the air with fine particulate matter PM2.5 (1-5), ozone precursors (3-8), carcinogens (3-5,8), and greenhouse gases (3,6,8) by burning leaves, yard waste, and recreational campfires during the spring, summer, and fall (Figure 1). Unfortunately, these residential burning practices are legal, and encouraged in most of Illinois, a state that is home to twelve non-attainment counties for two of the most hazardous EPA criteria pollutants: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (9) and ozone (10).
Proposal: Include an immediate statewide ban on residential open burning (recreational campfires, leaf and yard waste burning) in the PM2.5 State Implementation Plan (SIP) that is due to the U.S. EPA in April 2008 (23). The following twelve (12) counties have been designated by the EPA as non-attainment areas for PM2.5: Cook, DuPage, Kane,
Governor Blagojevich, please take action to include a ban on residential open burning (leaves, yard waste and recreational campfires) in the Illinois State Implementation Plan (SIP) for PM2.5 due to the U.S. EPA in April 2008. Such a ban would protect
A Lake County, Illinois Resident
Click on the Earth image or here for the letter and additional figures.
Website demands wood burning ban--Canada
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Website demands wood burning ban
By Kristin Morency, The Suburban.com
Quebec's largest English Weekly Newspaper
June 12, 2008
A West Island woman has launched a website to raise awareness about the effects of wood smoke pollution in residential neighbourhoods.
Stella Haley, who lives in Pointe Claire, said that when her 31-year-old son was diagnosed two years ago with sarcoma, a type of cancer, it prompted her to look into the correlation between air pollution and cancer.
“In looking at sarcoma, I looked at environmental cancers, and I realized that we better start to do something about prevention,” Haley said in a phone interview.
“I decided to make it a public issue, to make people aware,” she said of her organization, called Citizens for Environmental Health.
“But there’s a very unfortunate, deep, embedded resistance. Each person I approach outside of physicians, gives the sense that this is not an issue and nobody wants to touch it,” she explained.
Haley said she raised her son, Shane Theriault, in Hudson.
“We were inundated with smoke from people who were committed to burning [wood] day after day,” she said.
“I knew at the time... There was a very high risk to [my son’s] health... He constantly played outside in that smoke,” she said.
Montreal city council passed a resolution in April to find a way to combat pollution caused by wood heating. The resolution also asked the provincial government to help find a solution to the problem.
To minimize the impact of wood smoke on health, Health Canada suggests choosing a low emission stove, such as an appliance that is certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
But Haley, who ran for city councillor in Pointe Claire in 2004, said that many people are fooled by the certifications on wood burning stoves.
“What we have seen is that all of the testing is done and conducted by the industry [itself], they own and conduct their tests and they self-certify themselves,” she said.
“There’s a conflict of interest — it’s extremely unbelievable.”
According to the Canadian Lung Association, wood stoves pollute the air with particulate matter (a mixture of microscopic particles declared a toxic substance under the Environmental Protection Act, which can lead to serious respiratory problems,) carbon monoxide (which can cause fatigue, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and at very high levels, death,) oxides of nitrogen (which lower the resistance to lung infections and irritate the lungs of people who suffer from asthma), as well as a slew of other chemicals that are harmful.
Children are particularly vulnerable to wood smoke, because their respiratory systems are still developing, and because they have higher rates of activity and inhale more air, Health Canada says.
Haley said she had organized a conference on the topic of wood burning and its effects on childrens’ health, to be presented at Pointe Claire city hall, but it fell through.
“When [Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie] heard this, he pretended he was going along with us, but two weeks prior to the conference I got a call saying that we could no longer use the city hall for our conference, because it’s only used for [council] meetings,” Haley said.
“That’s totally false. All I can say is that we need to work, to get ahead, and to stop smoke from causing cancer, heart disease and asthma.
“On the street behind me, there is a woman who has lung cancer, and she never touched a cigarette,” Haley added.
“Nobody’s death certificate says they died from wood burning smoke, because it’s been kept silent. We want people to not have to experience cancer... If we can avoid it.”
For more information or to sign Haley’s petition: www.citizensfeh.com.
kristin@thesuburban.com
By Kristin Morency, The Suburban.com
Quebec's largest English Weekly Newspaper
June 12, 2008
A West Island woman has launched a website to raise awareness about the effects of wood smoke pollution in residential neighbourhoods.
Stella Haley, who lives in Pointe Claire, said that when her 31-year-old son was diagnosed two years ago with sarcoma, a type of cancer, it prompted her to look into the correlation between air pollution and cancer.
“In looking at sarcoma, I looked at environmental cancers, and I realized that we better start to do something about prevention,” Haley said in a phone interview.
“I decided to make it a public issue, to make people aware,” she said of her organization, called Citizens for Environmental Health.
“But there’s a very unfortunate, deep, embedded resistance. Each person I approach outside of physicians, gives the sense that this is not an issue and nobody wants to touch it,” she explained.
Haley said she raised her son, Shane Theriault, in Hudson.
“We were inundated with smoke from people who were committed to burning [wood] day after day,” she said.
“I knew at the time... There was a very high risk to [my son’s] health... He constantly played outside in that smoke,” she said.
Montreal city council passed a resolution in April to find a way to combat pollution caused by wood heating. The resolution also asked the provincial government to help find a solution to the problem.
To minimize the impact of wood smoke on health, Health Canada suggests choosing a low emission stove, such as an appliance that is certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
But Haley, who ran for city councillor in Pointe Claire in 2004, said that many people are fooled by the certifications on wood burning stoves.
“What we have seen is that all of the testing is done and conducted by the industry [itself], they own and conduct their tests and they self-certify themselves,” she said.
“There’s a conflict of interest — it’s extremely unbelievable.”
According to the Canadian Lung Association, wood stoves pollute the air with particulate matter (a mixture of microscopic particles declared a toxic substance under the Environmental Protection Act, which can lead to serious respiratory problems,) carbon monoxide (which can cause fatigue, headaches, dizziness, confusion, and at very high levels, death,) oxides of nitrogen (which lower the resistance to lung infections and irritate the lungs of people who suffer from asthma), as well as a slew of other chemicals that are harmful.
Children are particularly vulnerable to wood smoke, because their respiratory systems are still developing, and because they have higher rates of activity and inhale more air, Health Canada says.
Haley said she had organized a conference on the topic of wood burning and its effects on childrens’ health, to be presented at Pointe Claire city hall, but it fell through.
“When [Pointe Claire Mayor Bill McMurchie] heard this, he pretended he was going along with us, but two weeks prior to the conference I got a call saying that we could no longer use the city hall for our conference, because it’s only used for [council] meetings,” Haley said.
“That’s totally false. All I can say is that we need to work, to get ahead, and to stop smoke from causing cancer, heart disease and asthma.
“On the street behind me, there is a woman who has lung cancer, and she never touched a cigarette,” Haley added.
“Nobody’s death certificate says they died from wood burning smoke, because it’s been kept silent. We want people to not have to experience cancer... If we can avoid it.”
For more information or to sign Haley’s petition: www.citizensfeh.com.
kristin@thesuburban.com
Heating Your Home: Why Open Fireplaces Don’t Heat
Monday, June 9, 2008
Heating Your Home: Why Open Fireplaces Don’t Heat
Written by Chris Schille
Published on June 1st, 2008
Posted in Energy, Heating & Cooling
Open fireplaces have a reputation for polluting air. Actually, a fireplace, when burned hot and fast, creates very little pollution. The trouble is, a hot fire in a fireplace sometimes yields less heat than a smoldering fire. Where does the heat go?
The optimal amount of combustion air contains just enough oxygen to burn all combustible gases liberated by the heat. Any additional air grabs heat and sends it up the chimney. Under some circumstances, fireplaces can so far exceed this air-to-fuel ratio that they suck more heat out of a house than they radiate back into it. The fire actually makes the house colder!
The usable heat produced from the fireplace is primarily radiation, the same heat you feel on your face when you look at the flames. While fireplaces often contain lots of thermal mass (masonry), the unrestricted flow of cool air across this mass prevents it from capturing much heat. Nevertheless, if the damper is closed as soon as the fire burns out, a significant amount of heat will radiate back into the room instead of going up the chimney. Unfortunately, when the fire burns out, many fireplace users give up and go to bed without taking this critical step.
Here’s where pollution enters the picture: instead of burning a quick, hot fire and closing their damper, most people elect to burn their wood slowly to meter out heat.
Slow combustion means that the wood is burning at a lower temperature. At a lower temperature, a smaller portion of the combustible gases actually burn. More gases leave the chimney as smoke and soot (pollution).
With fireplaces, you really can’t win: if you burn a hot fire, you lose most of the heat up the chimney. If you burn a slow fire, you get very little heat, and lots of pollution.
Web master note---Stop burning wood. Convert to gas or electric!!!
Written by Chris Schille
Published on June 1st, 2008
Posted in Energy, Heating & Cooling
Open fireplaces have a reputation for polluting air. Actually, a fireplace, when burned hot and fast, creates very little pollution. The trouble is, a hot fire in a fireplace sometimes yields less heat than a smoldering fire. Where does the heat go?
The optimal amount of combustion air contains just enough oxygen to burn all combustible gases liberated by the heat. Any additional air grabs heat and sends it up the chimney. Under some circumstances, fireplaces can so far exceed this air-to-fuel ratio that they suck more heat out of a house than they radiate back into it. The fire actually makes the house colder!
The usable heat produced from the fireplace is primarily radiation, the same heat you feel on your face when you look at the flames. While fireplaces often contain lots of thermal mass (masonry), the unrestricted flow of cool air across this mass prevents it from capturing much heat. Nevertheless, if the damper is closed as soon as the fire burns out, a significant amount of heat will radiate back into the room instead of going up the chimney. Unfortunately, when the fire burns out, many fireplace users give up and go to bed without taking this critical step.
Here’s where pollution enters the picture: instead of burning a quick, hot fire and closing their damper, most people elect to burn their wood slowly to meter out heat.
Slow combustion means that the wood is burning at a lower temperature. At a lower temperature, a smaller portion of the combustible gases actually burn. More gases leave the chimney as smoke and soot (pollution).
With fireplaces, you really can’t win: if you burn a hot fire, you lose most of the heat up the chimney. If you burn a slow fire, you get very little heat, and lots of pollution.
Web master note---Stop burning wood. Convert to gas or electric!!!
Another burning issue---wood smoke!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Topeka Capital-Journal,
Feb 1, 2001 by Capital-Journal
Another burning issue---wood smoke!
The problem of secondhand smoke in Topeka restaurants has been a hot topic lately. Wood smoke is the "other" secondhand smoke. Wood burning exposes you and your neighbors to combustion byproducts called smoke. It is hard to get away from; smoke seeps indoors even if you don't burn.
You know about the effects of cigarette smoke on your respiratory system. Delicate tissues that are infected, irritated and scarred can cause long trending health consequences.
Wood smoke contains many irritating gases and chemicals. The biggest danger, however, is particulate matter, which is so small that 30 particles fit on a single red blood cell.
Unlike a soft tobacco tar, the wood smoke particles can be solid, chemical coated pieces of wood. Once inside the lungs, these wooden daggers swell up in the moist atmosphere and can cause even more damage than a softer smoke.
We can, if necessary, avoid secondhand cigarette smoke by removing ourselves from the scene. This is not possible when the home is being invaded by someone else's wood burning byproduct.
If you have someone in you neighborhood heating their home with wood, I would encourage you to seek information about the hazard to your family's health. "Burning Issues, A Project of Clean Air Revival Inc." or (burningissues.org) on the Web is one source of information. Share this information with your neighbor. Then let your representative to the city council know your concerns.
--- WARREN DIETRICH, Topeka.
Topeka Capital-Journal,
Feb 1, 2001 by Capital-Journal
Another burning issue---wood smoke!
The problem of secondhand smoke in Topeka restaurants has been a hot topic lately. Wood smoke is the "other" secondhand smoke. Wood burning exposes you and your neighbors to combustion byproducts called smoke. It is hard to get away from; smoke seeps indoors even if you don't burn.
You know about the effects of cigarette smoke on your respiratory system. Delicate tissues that are infected, irritated and scarred can cause long trending health consequences.
Wood smoke contains many irritating gases and chemicals. The biggest danger, however, is particulate matter, which is so small that 30 particles fit on a single red blood cell.
Unlike a soft tobacco tar, the wood smoke particles can be solid, chemical coated pieces of wood. Once inside the lungs, these wooden daggers swell up in the moist atmosphere and can cause even more damage than a softer smoke.
We can, if necessary, avoid secondhand cigarette smoke by removing ourselves from the scene. This is not possible when the home is being invaded by someone else's wood burning byproduct.
If you have someone in you neighborhood heating their home with wood, I would encourage you to seek information about the hazard to your family's health. "Burning Issues, A Project of Clean Air Revival Inc." or (burningissues.org) on the Web is one source of information. Share this information with your neighbor. Then let your representative to the city council know your concerns.
--- WARREN DIETRICH, Topeka.
Citizens for Environmental Health
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Citizens for Environmental Health
About Us.....
Our Commitment---
We will support citizens with current information about health related environmental issues, and through our united efforts, will promote vitality, health, harmony and sustainability. Together, we reach forward with informed vision and fortitude. Citizens for environmental health act in the pursuit of one positive intention, to do whatever it takes to safeguard all life.
We are committed to all aspects of prevention. Our focus is on the air we breathe; on the grass we walk and play on, as well as how we use household energy, transportation, and the safety of consumer products. We realize the importance of being able to trust that the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. The policies we endorse serve to ensure maximum health in healthy environments. We realize the need to rethink several beliefs--and time is of essence. We are committed to exploring behaviors, which have become habits. We see the need to evaluate our present actions, as these are the underlying cause of the many challenges that we face in these times of climate crisis.
We are dedicated to safeguarding all life. We are committed to helping citizens learn current and respected information so that together we discover a better, happier, joyful, and safer way to live. We are deeply committed to protecting the health of all citizens, especially the children. We embrace ways of strengthening communication about what we think we know, how we think and what we believe we know, so that we act with cautious stewardship to ensure clean, safe tobacco- and chimney-smoke free air.
We Believe---
We believe that we have borrowed the earth and the air from our children and we must give it back clean and inviting and as safe as possible. We believe that we must do whatever it takes to ensure smoke free air, since air is essential to life.
We believe strongly in the importance of protecting the environment and citizens’ health. We are especially committed to the importance of the right to breathe smoke free air. We believe that living in safe communities is our vital right. In the interest of social justice, being free to breathe clean chimney-smoke-free air is a given right and that this right is not to be compromised. We believe that clean air is essential to life and to healthy neighborhoods. We recognize that it is our duty and responsibility as custodians, to protect children from all dangers. We acknowledge that chimney smoke is a carcinogen, a grave and unnecessary danger to children. We believe that all smoke including EPA smoke is a critical health risk and this unnecessary pollution must be stopped. The present is our gift to future generations; therefore it is our duty to embrace the safest and highest environmental standards possible. We encourage all organizations, regardless of faith, or geographical borders, to perpetuate positive actions. We invoke linear togetherness that encourages shared vision, mutual arm in arm support, and activities, that unite and guide us as we courageously face challenges of global warming. We acknowledge the challenge of changing old ways behaviors and recognize that sacrifices must be made to adjust to climate change new realities. We strongly promote The Precautionary Principle in practice and policy, therefore we expect and oblige our elected officials to act to ensure sustainability, and to do all in their power to the health of all citizens. We expect policy that reduces risks and ensures safe sustainable environments. One can truly make a difference through informed forward thinking, political will, transparency, responsibility and, of course, doing what is right. Our motto: Together for Better. We invite you to join as we believe we must act with urgency today, to do what is must be done, “For the sake of the kids”, for now and forever.
Who we are----
We are a preventive action-oriented environmental association, dedicated to ensuring the maximum protection of all citizens, all life, in the healthiest and safest environment possible.
Our Motto----
“Together for Better!” THEME 1- Clean air is essential to life
Our Mission----
WHAT WE DO NOW
As a global citizens' group, we, Citizensforenvironmentalhealth.com, commit to being forerunners of change. With respect for the earth, and all life, we are spirited and above all determined to make a difference. We are enthusiastically dedicated to sharing current information on prevention, on how to act, so as to safeguard air quality. We are determined to expand public knowledge about all issues of prevention.
Currently, our focus is wood smoke. We provide our guests and members with vital information on this subject. We ensure that this information is accurate and that the source is highly respected. We access reference material from the most qualified institutions and ensure that it is informative, factual and current. We assist in the expansion of awareness by providing material that is non-biased, from a reliable source, and that it furthers the Community Right to Know. We provide information that has been documented over the last two decades. We provide documented reference material from thousands of studies on health risks and wood smoke pollution. We demonstrate in these documents the critical health risks facing citizens who are placed in harm’s way from breathing neighbourhood chimney smoke. We recognize citizens have been denied this knowledge and believe it is crucial to provide this information to all citizens. We clearly oppose all wood burning and stress the concern for the dangers of misguided false information about EPA Stove Smoke. We are determined to reveal the truths about total carcinogenic emissions in EPA and all neighbourhood smoke. We realize that we, as responsible citizens, and as an informed society, must stop the dissemination of false information. We discourage and demand a stop to this fatal habit.
We expose issues of non-disclosure, EPA conflict of interest and government inaction with regard to smoke emissions. We maintain and uphold citizens’ right to truth and transparency. We are committed to expanding information and suggest that, by denying Community Right to Know, as well as ignoring the Precautionary Principle, by limiting access to information, ignoring vital facts and providing information that is biased, the government is exposing innocent citizens, especially children, to ambient air which threatens their very lives.
Our mission is to ensure that publications and promotional material from industry and government institutions address the truths about emissions, are transparent and provide clear testimony about the false claims of up to 9O% of emissions that in reality are less than one percent, these fraudulent designed statements pose critical risk, can cause mortal harm .
We wish to alert the public about the suggestive false claims about smoke from Certified EPA Stoves. We will ensure that this vital information is no longer hidden, but, on the contrary, becomes common knowledge.
We oppose all wood burning; acknowledge the risk and danger to life that that results from smoke pollution. We are strongly opposed to the burning of wood as a secondary or primary heating source, and work towards ensuring public rightful access to smoke free air. We maintain that the practice of burning wood must be curtailed, as it constitutes a grave and unnecessary danger to society. We oppose all wood burning, except in emergency situations.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to all citizens from all corners of the world.
Here, at Citizens for Environmental Health, we invite you to take hands and with widespread energy and through groundbreaking intention, we will awaken to a new positive and purposeful direction.
Welcome to where a new thought form will be recognized and, from where, instead of failure, we will discover, manifest, and create change. We acknowledge that the hardest problem to fix is the one we do not know exists.
We know that air is essential to all life. However most people know very little about the air that we breathe in wood smoke neighbourhoods Unfortunately, people have not been told much about this smoke polluted air. So, with this site, we will do what we must do to give ourselves the best chance to live cancer risk free and replenish our neighbourhoods with safe smoke free air. Welcome to where we will replenish the air.
Smoke is the antithesis of air. Smoke, wood burning, we have romanticized and somehow taken for granted, as harmless. Far from harmless, harmful smoke, produced from burning tree parts in 2008, is the world’s third highest source of pollution and this smoke is a real threat to our health and all life on the planet. This burning smoke emits billions of tons of emissions, carcinogenic chemicals, carbon, benzene, fumes, dioxin and hexacholorbenzene into the air that we breathe each day.
Little is known about this second hand neighbourhood smoke. Yet, thousands of studies conclude that residential smoke is a major cause of all illness, heart disease, stroke, asthma, diabetes, all cancers, including breast cancer and even death. Smoke produced from residential wood burning costs 24% of the total green house gases in Canada each year. In Quebec , where emissions have grown 20% in the last five years, this smoke causes 55% of particulate matter, a deadly molecular soot pollution that enters deep into the lungs. And, all that smoke, people know very little about. People deserve and have the right to know. We think differently, we act more responsibly, when we know the facts.
Residential Wood Burning Smoke Pollution has become a primary cause of carbon emissions, benzene and dioxin, and is among the worse and the highest contributor of pollution in the world. Wood burning deforestation is not the way of the new earth that we see. We can change.
Welcome to where we learn about how we can change the thoughts that have not been our servant but our ignorant master. Wood burning is the cause of over, 90% of winter pollution, however, this pollution in Canada , is caused by only 4% of people. Most people however, are not even aware that this smoke is a serious health threat. Issues about smoke been silenced for years, so, most do not know that the smoke from their chimney causes suffering to their neighbours, triggers asthma, heart attacks, and stroke and claims thousands of innocent lives in Canada alone, each year. Unknown to many, as Devra Davies stated in her celebrated book, Cutting Through the Smoke, “ Pollution never shows up on death certificates.” According to Health Canada , thousands of Canadians die each year from smoke carcinogenic exposure. Neighbourhood smoke is the silent killer that we know little about. Why have we been, for so long, kept in the dark about this smoke?
The devastation caused by the toxins in smoke is causing environmental havoc and destruction to all living things. We must change. It is time we clear the air.
Welcome to where we take responsibility for the safety of our children. Asthma is the highest cause of death in children. Let us act to make sure the kids breathe air that is not a toxic mixture of smoke. Children are at the highest risk. Can we allow smoke, fumes and chemicals to be constantly emitted into their growing bodies? Smoke is scarring their lungs and accumulating in blood cells of our children. With this true coming together for better, we make certain that the children are all able to live more safely, free from all cigarette and wood burning smoke. We owe it to our kids! We will act.
As a mother of a son who has seen the face of cancer first hand, I ask you to join us in this movement where we believe that the best treatment is prevention. Whether for cancer, lung disease, asthma, stroke and heart disease and Breast Cancer prevention from avoidable risks is crucial. We invite you help us voice the need and to fight for change so that citizens, parents, and children will not be made to suffer environmental cancer. Here is where asthma, coughs and lung infections, caused from breathing smoke will not get a place to start. We can prevent all the environmental cancer and diseases caused from breathing smoke-toxic neighbourhood dirty air. Is burning wood worth the cost? We Adopt Prevention as the Best Cure!
We together can and must reduce risks and prevent exposure to all smoke. Reducing risks is breathing smoke free.
We invite you to become informed about an unknown subject, this silent killer that is causing illness, great distress and suffering and especially endangering our children. Smoke is placing kids at very heightened risk. Smoke from chimneys is causing irreversible environmental damage and placing our health and the health of the unborn at heightened risk.
Vital to changing is the urgent need to address is the lack of science and lack of integrity in EPA Certified Stoves. Unless we awaken to the facts, as is stated in the critical review of EPA Integrity, May 22, 2008 in which, Senate House Leader, Waxman states that EPA decisions “are not based on Science nor regulations, but are adopted by the White House for political reasons” we will not see real change. We need to dissect the myth of this power industry and see that the truths about EPA Certified stoves. Independent tests (INTERTEC) conclude stove emissions show an increase of 400% dioxin in EPA chimney smoke. As with all emissions, studies conclude none, no emissions are reduced in home use of stoves. Emissions are reduced in lab testing only. The industry owns the labs! The industry certifies itself! People need to know the studies and reviews prove that testing is not based on scientific facts.
There is no reduction in concentration but what is to be made caution is the fact that Dioxin in smoke exposure is placing women at risk to develop Breast Cancer. Walking in smoke is like smoking 16 cigarettes in one half hour!
We must stop this smoke that is placing women at risk. Studies prove carcinogens from breathing this smoke accumulate in the blood cells and fatty tissue, causing changes, directly impacting and increasing risks for women to develop Breast Cancer. It is urgent. We must act.
Together we can and must reduce these avoidable risks and prevent exposure to all carcinogenic smoke. Reducing risks is breathing smoke free.
We acknowledge the respected government and institutional research that proves that wood smoke is more toxic than cigarette smoke. We extend a welcome to our institutions and government agencies. We expect and oblige our elected policy makers to adopt policy that is, the best and the safest policy, that is informed, and that is clearly the most forward thinking, sustainable health based, environmental policy.
Nothing less is acceptable. PREVENTION is the BEST CURE.
Health must be number one in policy.
We realize that, unfortunately, people have been kept in the dark about neighbourhood smoke.
Seeing that people are victims of not knowing much about this second hand smoke, we want to make a difference in getting the information out there. We welcome citizens, policy makers and the media to a place where people are respectively given access to the facts, where they can make informed decisions, become healthier citizens, live and breathe in health and enjoy the best quality of life. We ensure that life is given the best chance, so that people can live happier, longer and better, breather clean and safe air in their homes and neighbourhoods. People must not be forced to breathe neighbours’ toxic smoke in their own homes. People have the right to live smoke free. No one should be able to take your breath away.
We believe and do our best and will continue to see that the information is made easily available, so good willed citizens can act responsibly, stop polluting with smoke, and do what is right for our environment and our families. We must protect the air for future generations.
We invite all citizens from worldwide communities to learn, share in the dialogue, chat with each other, support, and participate, so that we informed and determined to change. We must take a new direction.
We know it is time for change and we believe that through willpower and awareness, citizens in communities will engage in change, and will help each other live more safely, in smoke free neighbourhoods. Climate change is upon us. We may not have a second chance.
Wood burning smoke is threat to our well-being and future generations. Witnessing the raging earth now struggling to combat climate change, the world food shortage, the hungry desolate people displaced, those before our eyes, who, by the millions, are falling victims to the ravishes of climate change, we too, may soon become one of them. We humans are the fragile. We are the meek and the humble. We must change. We ask each other to think about today and tomorrow’s children. They need us. What are we leaving for our grandchildren who shall inherit the air and the earth? We had a beautiful world handed to us what can we do to now give our children the same beautiful earth? Certainly dirty smoky air is not what our children should be handed, nor expect from us.
We need to act towards change and courageously create a better, cleaner and safer world. It is time for change. We have no choice. Please join together, with Citizens for Environmental Health, join a world where we work towards a wide awakened conscious. Becoming a member, if you wish to donate, we appreciate your help. In joining, you will receive our newsletter, and we will unite our voice. We can see that this is so important. We have never needed each other more than we do today. Time is of essence. Welcome! Become a member. It’s free. The best things in life are free. Our health is our most precious resource. Our earth, our air, what we need to enjoy life. We recognize that is we may stand to lose.. Now is the best time we have. Let’s get to work, create hope and make this a cleaner world. Let’s make successful change happen. We can and we will make a new, safer, smoke free world, a reality. Let’s do it for the kids!
Welcome! Let’s do it! We can and we will.
http://www.citizensforenvironmentalhealth.com/homepage.html
Webmaster comment---We welcome and applaud your efforts!
About Us.....
Our Commitment---
We will support citizens with current information about health related environmental issues, and through our united efforts, will promote vitality, health, harmony and sustainability. Together, we reach forward with informed vision and fortitude. Citizens for environmental health act in the pursuit of one positive intention, to do whatever it takes to safeguard all life.
We are committed to all aspects of prevention. Our focus is on the air we breathe; on the grass we walk and play on, as well as how we use household energy, transportation, and the safety of consumer products. We realize the importance of being able to trust that the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. The policies we endorse serve to ensure maximum health in healthy environments. We realize the need to rethink several beliefs--and time is of essence. We are committed to exploring behaviors, which have become habits. We see the need to evaluate our present actions, as these are the underlying cause of the many challenges that we face in these times of climate crisis.
We are dedicated to safeguarding all life. We are committed to helping citizens learn current and respected information so that together we discover a better, happier, joyful, and safer way to live. We are deeply committed to protecting the health of all citizens, especially the children. We embrace ways of strengthening communication about what we think we know, how we think and what we believe we know, so that we act with cautious stewardship to ensure clean, safe tobacco- and chimney-smoke free air.
We Believe---
We believe that we have borrowed the earth and the air from our children and we must give it back clean and inviting and as safe as possible. We believe that we must do whatever it takes to ensure smoke free air, since air is essential to life.
We believe strongly in the importance of protecting the environment and citizens’ health. We are especially committed to the importance of the right to breathe smoke free air. We believe that living in safe communities is our vital right. In the interest of social justice, being free to breathe clean chimney-smoke-free air is a given right and that this right is not to be compromised. We believe that clean air is essential to life and to healthy neighborhoods. We recognize that it is our duty and responsibility as custodians, to protect children from all dangers. We acknowledge that chimney smoke is a carcinogen, a grave and unnecessary danger to children. We believe that all smoke including EPA smoke is a critical health risk and this unnecessary pollution must be stopped. The present is our gift to future generations; therefore it is our duty to embrace the safest and highest environmental standards possible. We encourage all organizations, regardless of faith, or geographical borders, to perpetuate positive actions. We invoke linear togetherness that encourages shared vision, mutual arm in arm support, and activities, that unite and guide us as we courageously face challenges of global warming. We acknowledge the challenge of changing old ways behaviors and recognize that sacrifices must be made to adjust to climate change new realities. We strongly promote The Precautionary Principle in practice and policy, therefore we expect and oblige our elected officials to act to ensure sustainability, and to do all in their power to the health of all citizens. We expect policy that reduces risks and ensures safe sustainable environments. One can truly make a difference through informed forward thinking, political will, transparency, responsibility and, of course, doing what is right. Our motto: Together for Better. We invite you to join as we believe we must act with urgency today, to do what is must be done, “For the sake of the kids”, for now and forever.
Who we are----
We are a preventive action-oriented environmental association, dedicated to ensuring the maximum protection of all citizens, all life, in the healthiest and safest environment possible.
Our Motto----
“Together for Better!” THEME 1- Clean air is essential to life
Our Mission----
WHAT WE DO NOW
As a global citizens' group, we, Citizensforenvironmentalhealth.com, commit to being forerunners of change. With respect for the earth, and all life, we are spirited and above all determined to make a difference. We are enthusiastically dedicated to sharing current information on prevention, on how to act, so as to safeguard air quality. We are determined to expand public knowledge about all issues of prevention.
Currently, our focus is wood smoke. We provide our guests and members with vital information on this subject. We ensure that this information is accurate and that the source is highly respected. We access reference material from the most qualified institutions and ensure that it is informative, factual and current. We assist in the expansion of awareness by providing material that is non-biased, from a reliable source, and that it furthers the Community Right to Know. We provide information that has been documented over the last two decades. We provide documented reference material from thousands of studies on health risks and wood smoke pollution. We demonstrate in these documents the critical health risks facing citizens who are placed in harm’s way from breathing neighbourhood chimney smoke. We recognize citizens have been denied this knowledge and believe it is crucial to provide this information to all citizens. We clearly oppose all wood burning and stress the concern for the dangers of misguided false information about EPA Stove Smoke. We are determined to reveal the truths about total carcinogenic emissions in EPA and all neighbourhood smoke. We realize that we, as responsible citizens, and as an informed society, must stop the dissemination of false information. We discourage and demand a stop to this fatal habit.
We expose issues of non-disclosure, EPA conflict of interest and government inaction with regard to smoke emissions. We maintain and uphold citizens’ right to truth and transparency. We are committed to expanding information and suggest that, by denying Community Right to Know, as well as ignoring the Precautionary Principle, by limiting access to information, ignoring vital facts and providing information that is biased, the government is exposing innocent citizens, especially children, to ambient air which threatens their very lives.
Our mission is to ensure that publications and promotional material from industry and government institutions address the truths about emissions, are transparent and provide clear testimony about the false claims of up to 9O% of emissions that in reality are less than one percent, these fraudulent designed statements pose critical risk, can cause mortal harm .
We wish to alert the public about the suggestive false claims about smoke from Certified EPA Stoves. We will ensure that this vital information is no longer hidden, but, on the contrary, becomes common knowledge.
We oppose all wood burning; acknowledge the risk and danger to life that that results from smoke pollution. We are strongly opposed to the burning of wood as a secondary or primary heating source, and work towards ensuring public rightful access to smoke free air. We maintain that the practice of burning wood must be curtailed, as it constitutes a grave and unnecessary danger to society. We oppose all wood burning, except in emergency situations.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to all citizens from all corners of the world.
Here, at Citizens for Environmental Health, we invite you to take hands and with widespread energy and through groundbreaking intention, we will awaken to a new positive and purposeful direction.
Welcome to where a new thought form will be recognized and, from where, instead of failure, we will discover, manifest, and create change. We acknowledge that the hardest problem to fix is the one we do not know exists.
We know that air is essential to all life. However most people know very little about the air that we breathe in wood smoke neighbourhoods Unfortunately, people have not been told much about this smoke polluted air. So, with this site, we will do what we must do to give ourselves the best chance to live cancer risk free and replenish our neighbourhoods with safe smoke free air. Welcome to where we will replenish the air.
Smoke is the antithesis of air. Smoke, wood burning, we have romanticized and somehow taken for granted, as harmless. Far from harmless, harmful smoke, produced from burning tree parts in 2008, is the world’s third highest source of pollution and this smoke is a real threat to our health and all life on the planet. This burning smoke emits billions of tons of emissions, carcinogenic chemicals, carbon, benzene, fumes, dioxin and hexacholorbenzene into the air that we breathe each day.
Little is known about this second hand neighbourhood smoke. Yet, thousands of studies conclude that residential smoke is a major cause of all illness, heart disease, stroke, asthma, diabetes, all cancers, including breast cancer and even death. Smoke produced from residential wood burning costs 24% of the total green house gases in Canada each year. In Quebec , where emissions have grown 20% in the last five years, this smoke causes 55% of particulate matter, a deadly molecular soot pollution that enters deep into the lungs. And, all that smoke, people know very little about. People deserve and have the right to know. We think differently, we act more responsibly, when we know the facts.
Residential Wood Burning Smoke Pollution has become a primary cause of carbon emissions, benzene and dioxin, and is among the worse and the highest contributor of pollution in the world. Wood burning deforestation is not the way of the new earth that we see. We can change.
Welcome to where we learn about how we can change the thoughts that have not been our servant but our ignorant master. Wood burning is the cause of over, 90% of winter pollution, however, this pollution in Canada , is caused by only 4% of people. Most people however, are not even aware that this smoke is a serious health threat. Issues about smoke been silenced for years, so, most do not know that the smoke from their chimney causes suffering to their neighbours, triggers asthma, heart attacks, and stroke and claims thousands of innocent lives in Canada alone, each year. Unknown to many, as Devra Davies stated in her celebrated book, Cutting Through the Smoke, “ Pollution never shows up on death certificates.” According to Health Canada , thousands of Canadians die each year from smoke carcinogenic exposure. Neighbourhood smoke is the silent killer that we know little about. Why have we been, for so long, kept in the dark about this smoke?
The devastation caused by the toxins in smoke is causing environmental havoc and destruction to all living things. We must change. It is time we clear the air.
Welcome to where we take responsibility for the safety of our children. Asthma is the highest cause of death in children. Let us act to make sure the kids breathe air that is not a toxic mixture of smoke. Children are at the highest risk. Can we allow smoke, fumes and chemicals to be constantly emitted into their growing bodies? Smoke is scarring their lungs and accumulating in blood cells of our children. With this true coming together for better, we make certain that the children are all able to live more safely, free from all cigarette and wood burning smoke. We owe it to our kids! We will act.
As a mother of a son who has seen the face of cancer first hand, I ask you to join us in this movement where we believe that the best treatment is prevention. Whether for cancer, lung disease, asthma, stroke and heart disease and Breast Cancer prevention from avoidable risks is crucial. We invite you help us voice the need and to fight for change so that citizens, parents, and children will not be made to suffer environmental cancer. Here is where asthma, coughs and lung infections, caused from breathing smoke will not get a place to start. We can prevent all the environmental cancer and diseases caused from breathing smoke-toxic neighbourhood dirty air. Is burning wood worth the cost? We Adopt Prevention as the Best Cure!
We together can and must reduce risks and prevent exposure to all smoke. Reducing risks is breathing smoke free.
We invite you to become informed about an unknown subject, this silent killer that is causing illness, great distress and suffering and especially endangering our children. Smoke is placing kids at very heightened risk. Smoke from chimneys is causing irreversible environmental damage and placing our health and the health of the unborn at heightened risk.
Vital to changing is the urgent need to address is the lack of science and lack of integrity in EPA Certified Stoves. Unless we awaken to the facts, as is stated in the critical review of EPA Integrity, May 22, 2008 in which, Senate House Leader, Waxman states that EPA decisions “are not based on Science nor regulations, but are adopted by the White House for political reasons” we will not see real change. We need to dissect the myth of this power industry and see that the truths about EPA Certified stoves. Independent tests (INTERTEC) conclude stove emissions show an increase of 400% dioxin in EPA chimney smoke. As with all emissions, studies conclude none, no emissions are reduced in home use of stoves. Emissions are reduced in lab testing only. The industry owns the labs! The industry certifies itself! People need to know the studies and reviews prove that testing is not based on scientific facts.
There is no reduction in concentration but what is to be made caution is the fact that Dioxin in smoke exposure is placing women at risk to develop Breast Cancer. Walking in smoke is like smoking 16 cigarettes in one half hour!
We must stop this smoke that is placing women at risk. Studies prove carcinogens from breathing this smoke accumulate in the blood cells and fatty tissue, causing changes, directly impacting and increasing risks for women to develop Breast Cancer. It is urgent. We must act.
Together we can and must reduce these avoidable risks and prevent exposure to all carcinogenic smoke. Reducing risks is breathing smoke free.
We acknowledge the respected government and institutional research that proves that wood smoke is more toxic than cigarette smoke. We extend a welcome to our institutions and government agencies. We expect and oblige our elected policy makers to adopt policy that is, the best and the safest policy, that is informed, and that is clearly the most forward thinking, sustainable health based, environmental policy.
Nothing less is acceptable. PREVENTION is the BEST CURE.
Health must be number one in policy.
We realize that, unfortunately, people have been kept in the dark about neighbourhood smoke.
Seeing that people are victims of not knowing much about this second hand smoke, we want to make a difference in getting the information out there. We welcome citizens, policy makers and the media to a place where people are respectively given access to the facts, where they can make informed decisions, become healthier citizens, live and breathe in health and enjoy the best quality of life. We ensure that life is given the best chance, so that people can live happier, longer and better, breather clean and safe air in their homes and neighbourhoods. People must not be forced to breathe neighbours’ toxic smoke in their own homes. People have the right to live smoke free. No one should be able to take your breath away.
We believe and do our best and will continue to see that the information is made easily available, so good willed citizens can act responsibly, stop polluting with smoke, and do what is right for our environment and our families. We must protect the air for future generations.
We invite all citizens from worldwide communities to learn, share in the dialogue, chat with each other, support, and participate, so that we informed and determined to change. We must take a new direction.
We know it is time for change and we believe that through willpower and awareness, citizens in communities will engage in change, and will help each other live more safely, in smoke free neighbourhoods. Climate change is upon us. We may not have a second chance.
Wood burning smoke is threat to our well-being and future generations. Witnessing the raging earth now struggling to combat climate change, the world food shortage, the hungry desolate people displaced, those before our eyes, who, by the millions, are falling victims to the ravishes of climate change, we too, may soon become one of them. We humans are the fragile. We are the meek and the humble. We must change. We ask each other to think about today and tomorrow’s children. They need us. What are we leaving for our grandchildren who shall inherit the air and the earth? We had a beautiful world handed to us what can we do to now give our children the same beautiful earth? Certainly dirty smoky air is not what our children should be handed, nor expect from us.
We need to act towards change and courageously create a better, cleaner and safer world. It is time for change. We have no choice. Please join together, with Citizens for Environmental Health, join a world where we work towards a wide awakened conscious. Becoming a member, if you wish to donate, we appreciate your help. In joining, you will receive our newsletter, and we will unite our voice. We can see that this is so important. We have never needed each other more than we do today. Time is of essence. Welcome! Become a member. It’s free. The best things in life are free. Our health is our most precious resource. Our earth, our air, what we need to enjoy life. We recognize that is we may stand to lose.. Now is the best time we have. Let’s get to work, create hope and make this a cleaner world. Let’s make successful change happen. We can and we will make a new, safer, smoke free world, a reality. Let’s do it for the kids!
Welcome! Let’s do it! We can and we will.
http://www.citizensforenvironmentalhealth.com/homepage.html
Webmaster comment---We welcome and applaud your efforts!
Why wood burning is not carbon neutral
Why wood burning is not carbon neutral
Credit to....Posted on May 16, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
When politicians and advertisers and propagandists want to do something to persuade us that a policy or product or idea is something new, because the old policy, product or idea has failed, they re-invent vocabulary and assign new meanings to words in the hope of fooling us into thinking that the policies, products and ideas are new, whereas it is only the words that are new or used in a different context.
So instead of a settlement negotiation we have a “road map”. A “problem” becomes “an issue”. It has always been thus: Voltaire pointed out that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.
In environmental matters words are abused as much as energy is, to hide their real meanings and persuade us that there are easy options. We have “zero carbon homes” which produce carbon, and “a low carbon building programme” which is neither low carbon, nor is it a building programme and we have carbon offsetting, which does not offset carbon, merely slings a few ounces in one side of the balance when there are pounds in the other side. Worse of all, we have the concept of “carbon neutral”.
A forum at the Burning Issue website points out that “carbon neutral” cannot apply to any carbon based fuel. It can only apply to energy sources that do not in their fuel, create carbon – such as solar, nuclear and wind energy. You can read more about this at http://burningissues.org/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=668 and I recommend that you do.
The burning issues website is concerned with air pollution caused by burning. My concern with this subject (and an article I wrote about this) led a UK trade association to write to me to ask me to stop criticising other renewable technologies.
I cannot do that. I cannot subscribe to the concept that all renewable technologies are equal. Some are better than others. Some are better in some locations than others. You would not put solar panels on a house that is in the middle of a shady forest and you shouldn’t put wood burning furnaces in apartment buildings in the middle of London (although the latter has happened, believe it or not!).
The good people at the Burning Issues website have calculated that to offset the carbon produced by a very small home fuelled by wood burning needs around 63 acres of land to plant trees on, cutting down two acres each year for fuel and replanting as they go. After 30 years the process restarts.
I have not tested their calculations but it is clear to me that to offset the carbon emitted by wood burning needs far more tree planting than we are doing as a planet. It may be in some communities in places where the population is small and the woodland extensive this may happen, but it does not count for much if we burn more wood than we grow each year.
Although we are not planting as many trees as we have to plant (and somehow I doubt if we ever will) out in Australia farmers are looking to store or sequestrate carbon in the soil.
Ever since Australia was colonised at the expense of its aboriginal people, the colonists have farmed sheep. They were encouraged to clear the land of trees – they would cut down a tree to make room for a sheep. Intensive grazing by sheep led to soil degradation and when the soil was degraded sufficiently the farmers move on to new land and started the process again there.
That process meant that the land was leached of its stored carbon. Currently Australian soils store little carbon but a new movement there is leading to carbon gradually being replaced in soils by farmers who farm in ways that enable the soil to hold as much carbon as possible and retain it.
In essence they want to ensure that the carbon in decomposing matter that once lived is pushed into the soil by roots of foliage and held there as humus. Depending on what you grow, the soil can either release carbon or store it and the Australian soil carbon farmers seek to retain as much carbon in the soil as possible.
Now this is real carbon sequestration; the soils of the planet already hold more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
There is plenty of land to store carbon; the Australian colonial farmers were not exceptional – mostly farming has released carbon from the soil. When a forest is cleared in, say, Ecuador, for farming the clearing of the wood and its burning releases carbon and then when the soil is tilled and ploughed and worked more and more carbon is also released.
It seems fairly obvious that we should not burn wood, except perhaps waste wood from households that we cannot recycle, and that we should leave the forests undisturbed so that they can sequester carbon by allowing the vegetation to rot into peat. We should study the methods of the Australian soil carbon farmers and implement their ideas into farms everywhere.
It also seems obvious that the techniques of political or commercial persuasion by renaming things ultimately never work, because people realise eventually that the thing is still the “same old, same old” thing. They will realise it when they cough their way through wood smoke as the intensity of particulates and the measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to increase and with it changing the climate, despite all the so called carbon neutrality.
Note...Credit to--Posted on May 16, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
Credit to....Posted on May 16, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
When politicians and advertisers and propagandists want to do something to persuade us that a policy or product or idea is something new, because the old policy, product or idea has failed, they re-invent vocabulary and assign new meanings to words in the hope of fooling us into thinking that the policies, products and ideas are new, whereas it is only the words that are new or used in a different context.
So instead of a settlement negotiation we have a “road map”. A “problem” becomes “an issue”. It has always been thus: Voltaire pointed out that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire.
In environmental matters words are abused as much as energy is, to hide their real meanings and persuade us that there are easy options. We have “zero carbon homes” which produce carbon, and “a low carbon building programme” which is neither low carbon, nor is it a building programme and we have carbon offsetting, which does not offset carbon, merely slings a few ounces in one side of the balance when there are pounds in the other side. Worse of all, we have the concept of “carbon neutral”.
A forum at the Burning Issue website points out that “carbon neutral” cannot apply to any carbon based fuel. It can only apply to energy sources that do not in their fuel, create carbon – such as solar, nuclear and wind energy. You can read more about this at http://burningissues.org/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=668 and I recommend that you do.
The burning issues website is concerned with air pollution caused by burning. My concern with this subject (and an article I wrote about this) led a UK trade association to write to me to ask me to stop criticising other renewable technologies.
I cannot do that. I cannot subscribe to the concept that all renewable technologies are equal. Some are better than others. Some are better in some locations than others. You would not put solar panels on a house that is in the middle of a shady forest and you shouldn’t put wood burning furnaces in apartment buildings in the middle of London (although the latter has happened, believe it or not!).
The good people at the Burning Issues website have calculated that to offset the carbon produced by a very small home fuelled by wood burning needs around 63 acres of land to plant trees on, cutting down two acres each year for fuel and replanting as they go. After 30 years the process restarts.
I have not tested their calculations but it is clear to me that to offset the carbon emitted by wood burning needs far more tree planting than we are doing as a planet. It may be in some communities in places where the population is small and the woodland extensive this may happen, but it does not count for much if we burn more wood than we grow each year.
Although we are not planting as many trees as we have to plant (and somehow I doubt if we ever will) out in Australia farmers are looking to store or sequestrate carbon in the soil.
Ever since Australia was colonised at the expense of its aboriginal people, the colonists have farmed sheep. They were encouraged to clear the land of trees – they would cut down a tree to make room for a sheep. Intensive grazing by sheep led to soil degradation and when the soil was degraded sufficiently the farmers move on to new land and started the process again there.
That process meant that the land was leached of its stored carbon. Currently Australian soils store little carbon but a new movement there is leading to carbon gradually being replaced in soils by farmers who farm in ways that enable the soil to hold as much carbon as possible and retain it.
In essence they want to ensure that the carbon in decomposing matter that once lived is pushed into the soil by roots of foliage and held there as humus. Depending on what you grow, the soil can either release carbon or store it and the Australian soil carbon farmers seek to retain as much carbon in the soil as possible.
Now this is real carbon sequestration; the soils of the planet already hold more carbon than the atmosphere and vegetation combined, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
There is plenty of land to store carbon; the Australian colonial farmers were not exceptional – mostly farming has released carbon from the soil. When a forest is cleared in, say, Ecuador, for farming the clearing of the wood and its burning releases carbon and then when the soil is tilled and ploughed and worked more and more carbon is also released.
It seems fairly obvious that we should not burn wood, except perhaps waste wood from households that we cannot recycle, and that we should leave the forests undisturbed so that they can sequester carbon by allowing the vegetation to rot into peat. We should study the methods of the Australian soil carbon farmers and implement their ideas into farms everywhere.
It also seems obvious that the techniques of political or commercial persuasion by renaming things ultimately never work, because people realise eventually that the thing is still the “same old, same old” thing. They will realise it when they cough their way through wood smoke as the intensity of particulates and the measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to increase and with it changing the climate, despite all the so called carbon neutrality.
Note...Credit to--Posted on May 16, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
Biomass, wood smoke, particulates and cancers
Biomass, wood smoke, particulates and cancers
From---Posted on March 17, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
When we breathe in we inhale not only air but dust, and very small particles of stuff that we humans have put in the atmosphere. We know that these can be harmful – coal dust and asbestos dust spring immediately to mind.
Because we are putting relatively speaking so much into the atmosphere scientists are trying to understand the effect of these particles on human health.There is therefore a great deal of study and experimentation involving the toxicology of particles and fibres.
Much of this is reported in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, which you can access at http://www.particleandfibretoxicology.com/ . The journal is peer reviewed and attracts papers from scientists of many different disciplines, in order to encourage the inter-disciplinary approach that is necessary in this field, and indeed in most fields of human study.
Climate change scientists examine global phenomena using physics, chemistry, geology climatology, meteorology, and many other disciplines. Particle toxicologists examine the reactions of tiny substances in small quantities on animals using physics, chemistry, physiology, biology. Sometimes you ignore the small things at your peril.
Climate change is a big thing, unable to be verified by experimentation and subject to much discussion and many alternate theories even though a scientific consensus has been reached which would be dangerous to ignore.Particle toxicology involves tiny substances, which you also ignore at your peril.I have written from time to time about biomass – wood burning to generate energy – either heat energy for homes or in the case of the propose Port Talbot Power Plant electrical energy.
Biomass is promoted as a carbon free or low carbon way to generate energy, because the plant material is replaced and the carbon emitted is reabsorbed. I have expressed my doubts about this being wholly true.There are health issues with burning biomass, and as a society we seem to be a little blind to them.
We woke up to health issues with coal mining and asbestos rather late in the day and I would hope we can avoid this happening with biomass.
Some studies were carried out in Norway where the main air pollutants are caused by vehicles and wood burning which together are responsible for 65% of Norway’s total emissions. The scientists wanted to try to understand how the content of particles, their size and characteristics affect human health and find physical or chemical properties of these particles.
Now particles from asbestos, cigarette smoke and similar matters have been associated with health problems – particularly cancers and heart disease, although the precise way in which they cause these problems is not fully understood.The scientists tested a traditional wood burning stove by burning wood in it at high temperature and collecting and analysing the smoke and also by collecting exhaust fumes.
These studies have been reported in the Particle and Fibre Toxicology Journal. The scientists found that the exhaust particles were smaller than the wood particles but that the wood smoke particles had a higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (“PAH”) content.
Some studies link particles with a high PAH content to these health problems and that there is a strong relationship between organic particles (such as cigarette and wood smoke) to lung cancer. One particular type of PAH has been identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a cause for concern – PAH 16 which is thought to be carcinogenic.
Because they found that the PAH content was much higher in wood smoke than in vehicle exhaust, they concluded that it was important to understand more about how the body responds to higher PAH content in particulates, rather than compare wood smoke and traffic fumes.
There are still many questions that need further research – what is the precise role of inhaled PAHs on human health? Does using different wood sources affect the PAH content? Does using reclaimed, painted or varnished wood provide a higher or lower PAH content when burnt?
The message here is not that wood stoves give you cancer or that biomass boilers will harm people. The message is that there must be a question mark against them and that we must move carefully with research based information before we embark on a biomass boiler programme because air quality is important and that we worsen air quality at our peril.
The European Commission thinks that air pollution reduces life expectancy on average by none months, and poor air quality in the UK is thought to cause 32,000 premature deaths each year. We traditionally blame vehicle particulates for this.
In the 1950s the Government introduced clean air legislation and “Smokeless Zones” which have had a profoundly beneficial effect on our health.In the UK there is no doubt that the Department of the Environment has been doing good work in improving air quality. My concern is that with an increased take up of biomass for energy this good work will be undone and that in twenty years from now we shall be facing similar public health problems that were caused by coal burning in the 1950s and 1960s.
Those in favour of biomass will point to improved filtering operations. I hope that they are right about the efficacy of the filters from biomass boilers. Even if they are right I think that we still have to factor in human behaviour. Boilers of all kinds need regular servicing and biomass boilers will not only need normal servicing but the filtration system will need to be regularly checked and renewed.
A biomass boiler will still work without proper servicing but will work in a very polluting way. Inertia is an important factor in human behaviour. How many people have their gas boilers serviced properly each year? How many condensing boilers no longer condense due to incorrect set up or lack of servicing? My fear is that inertia will lead to biomass boilers creating the very harm that we employ them to prevent.
Credit to...Posted on March 17, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
From---Posted on March 17, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
When we breathe in we inhale not only air but dust, and very small particles of stuff that we humans have put in the atmosphere. We know that these can be harmful – coal dust and asbestos dust spring immediately to mind.
Because we are putting relatively speaking so much into the atmosphere scientists are trying to understand the effect of these particles on human health.There is therefore a great deal of study and experimentation involving the toxicology of particles and fibres.
Much of this is reported in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, which you can access at http://www.particleandfibretoxicology.com/ . The journal is peer reviewed and attracts papers from scientists of many different disciplines, in order to encourage the inter-disciplinary approach that is necessary in this field, and indeed in most fields of human study.
Climate change scientists examine global phenomena using physics, chemistry, geology climatology, meteorology, and many other disciplines. Particle toxicologists examine the reactions of tiny substances in small quantities on animals using physics, chemistry, physiology, biology. Sometimes you ignore the small things at your peril.
Climate change is a big thing, unable to be verified by experimentation and subject to much discussion and many alternate theories even though a scientific consensus has been reached which would be dangerous to ignore.Particle toxicology involves tiny substances, which you also ignore at your peril.I have written from time to time about biomass – wood burning to generate energy – either heat energy for homes or in the case of the propose Port Talbot Power Plant electrical energy.
Biomass is promoted as a carbon free or low carbon way to generate energy, because the plant material is replaced and the carbon emitted is reabsorbed. I have expressed my doubts about this being wholly true.There are health issues with burning biomass, and as a society we seem to be a little blind to them.
We woke up to health issues with coal mining and asbestos rather late in the day and I would hope we can avoid this happening with biomass.
Some studies were carried out in Norway where the main air pollutants are caused by vehicles and wood burning which together are responsible for 65% of Norway’s total emissions. The scientists wanted to try to understand how the content of particles, their size and characteristics affect human health and find physical or chemical properties of these particles.
Now particles from asbestos, cigarette smoke and similar matters have been associated with health problems – particularly cancers and heart disease, although the precise way in which they cause these problems is not fully understood.The scientists tested a traditional wood burning stove by burning wood in it at high temperature and collecting and analysing the smoke and also by collecting exhaust fumes.
These studies have been reported in the Particle and Fibre Toxicology Journal. The scientists found that the exhaust particles were smaller than the wood particles but that the wood smoke particles had a higher polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (“PAH”) content.
Some studies link particles with a high PAH content to these health problems and that there is a strong relationship between organic particles (such as cigarette and wood smoke) to lung cancer. One particular type of PAH has been identified by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a cause for concern – PAH 16 which is thought to be carcinogenic.
Because they found that the PAH content was much higher in wood smoke than in vehicle exhaust, they concluded that it was important to understand more about how the body responds to higher PAH content in particulates, rather than compare wood smoke and traffic fumes.
There are still many questions that need further research – what is the precise role of inhaled PAHs on human health? Does using different wood sources affect the PAH content? Does using reclaimed, painted or varnished wood provide a higher or lower PAH content when burnt?
The message here is not that wood stoves give you cancer or that biomass boilers will harm people. The message is that there must be a question mark against them and that we must move carefully with research based information before we embark on a biomass boiler programme because air quality is important and that we worsen air quality at our peril.
The European Commission thinks that air pollution reduces life expectancy on average by none months, and poor air quality in the UK is thought to cause 32,000 premature deaths each year. We traditionally blame vehicle particulates for this.
In the 1950s the Government introduced clean air legislation and “Smokeless Zones” which have had a profoundly beneficial effect on our health.In the UK there is no doubt that the Department of the Environment has been doing good work in improving air quality. My concern is that with an increased take up of biomass for energy this good work will be undone and that in twenty years from now we shall be facing similar public health problems that were caused by coal burning in the 1950s and 1960s.
Those in favour of biomass will point to improved filtering operations. I hope that they are right about the efficacy of the filters from biomass boilers. Even if they are right I think that we still have to factor in human behaviour. Boilers of all kinds need regular servicing and biomass boilers will not only need normal servicing but the filtration system will need to be regularly checked and renewed.
A biomass boiler will still work without proper servicing but will work in a very polluting way. Inertia is an important factor in human behaviour. How many people have their gas boilers serviced properly each year? How many condensing boilers no longer condense due to incorrect set up or lack of servicing? My fear is that inertia will lead to biomass boilers creating the very harm that we employ them to prevent.
Credit to...Posted on March 17, 2008 by robertkyriakides-web blog site
Wood Smoke May Be Worse than Originally Thought
The Solar Cooking Archive
A high-efficiency woodstove my actually create more greenhouse gasses than a traditional fire At the World Conference on Solar Cooking in 1992, Dr. Daniel M. Kammen, of the Department of Physics at Harvard University, gave a presentation on the emissions from traditional cooking fires and the effects they may have on the atmosphere and global warming. We spoke with Dr. Kammen at the conference.
SBJ: Dr. Kammen, what is it that you have discovered about the smoke from traditional cooking fires?
Daniel Kammen: While everyone knows that carbon dioxide produced from burning wood contributes to the greenhouse effect. What we discovered was that other gasses--carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc.--are produced in much greater quantities than previously thought.
SBJ: What does this mean?
DK: When you calculate the contribution that these gasses make to global warming, they rival or exceed the greenhouse effect produced by carbon dioxide alone.
The typical kilogram of wood is roughly 50% carbon. When it is burned under ideal conditions, the smoke consists mostly of water and carbon dioxide. But in traditional cooking practices, where there is not enough oxygen, those 500 grams of carbon produce 50 to 60 grams of carbon monoxide, 20 to 30 grams of methane, and 30 to 40 grams of other nasty stuff. Each of these non-CO2 products of combustion have a larger greenhouse effect, molecule per molecule, than carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide's effect is five times greater, methane is 23 times greater, and nitrogen dioxide is 280 times more serious as a greenhouse gas.
When you multiply the amount of emissions by the global warming potential for each gas, and add it up, you find that the non-C02 gasses produce a C02 equivalent of 460 grams. The amount of C02 directly released by burning one kilogram of wood is about 440 grams, since oxygen from the air is added.
SBJ: So in essence we have twice the greenhouse effect?
DK: That's right. Now the key item is, how long do these gasses stay in the atmosphere? The half-life of each gas is not known precisely, but half the C02 released today will still be in the atmosphere 150 to 200 years from now. In another 150 to 200 years after that, only a quarter of it will still be up there. Methane has a half life of about 7 years.
SBJ: It seems fortunate that the more powerful greenhouse gasses have shorter half lives.
DK: Yes, but remember, these gasses don't suddenly vanish. When a molecule of methane stops being methane, it becomes C02. It is still a bad thing. Now, if you multiply how much of each gas is in the atmosphere by how reactive it is, then subtract what is decaying due to its half life, you find that over the first 20 years the non-C02 gasses have had the biggest effect.
SBJ: And this is not generally known?
DK: The atmospheric chemistry has been known for quite a while. The big surprise is that small-scale burning produces more non-C02 gasses than originally thought. Scientists just had not looked that closely at inefficient, smoldering cookfires.
SBJ: And you have actually measured the production of these gasses?
DK: That's right. And something I hope to look at more closely at this summer, while in Kenya, is the effect oxygen availability has on non-CO2 gas production. This could be significant. The high efficiency ceramic stoves currently being disseminated, reduce wood consumption by reducing oxygen supply. We might be producing just as much or more of greenhouse gasses with less wood. We will also be looking at baking bricks in a large solar box, eliminating another smoldering burn that produces lots on non-CO2 gasses.
SBJ: So, could you sum up the ramifications of all this for solar cooking?
DK: The contribution cooking fires make to the global "greenhouse budget" has been underestimated. The potential contribution solar cooking can make is bigger than we'd thought. The scary thing is this: even if by the year 2000 we wise up and do all the right things, we still have a long time to live with what we have done already. That is why it is so important that we get moving right away!
This document is published on The Solar Cooking Archive at http://solarcooking.org/ghouse.htm. For questions or comments, contact webmaster@solarcooking.org
RE: http://solarcooking.org/ghouse.htm
A high-efficiency woodstove my actually create more greenhouse gasses than a traditional fire At the World Conference on Solar Cooking in 1992, Dr. Daniel M. Kammen, of the Department of Physics at Harvard University, gave a presentation on the emissions from traditional cooking fires and the effects they may have on the atmosphere and global warming. We spoke with Dr. Kammen at the conference.
SBJ: Dr. Kammen, what is it that you have discovered about the smoke from traditional cooking fires?
Daniel Kammen: While everyone knows that carbon dioxide produced from burning wood contributes to the greenhouse effect. What we discovered was that other gasses--carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, etc.--are produced in much greater quantities than previously thought.
SBJ: What does this mean?
DK: When you calculate the contribution that these gasses make to global warming, they rival or exceed the greenhouse effect produced by carbon dioxide alone.
The typical kilogram of wood is roughly 50% carbon. When it is burned under ideal conditions, the smoke consists mostly of water and carbon dioxide. But in traditional cooking practices, where there is not enough oxygen, those 500 grams of carbon produce 50 to 60 grams of carbon monoxide, 20 to 30 grams of methane, and 30 to 40 grams of other nasty stuff. Each of these non-CO2 products of combustion have a larger greenhouse effect, molecule per molecule, than carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide's effect is five times greater, methane is 23 times greater, and nitrogen dioxide is 280 times more serious as a greenhouse gas.
When you multiply the amount of emissions by the global warming potential for each gas, and add it up, you find that the non-C02 gasses produce a C02 equivalent of 460 grams. The amount of C02 directly released by burning one kilogram of wood is about 440 grams, since oxygen from the air is added.
SBJ: So in essence we have twice the greenhouse effect?
DK: That's right. Now the key item is, how long do these gasses stay in the atmosphere? The half-life of each gas is not known precisely, but half the C02 released today will still be in the atmosphere 150 to 200 years from now. In another 150 to 200 years after that, only a quarter of it will still be up there. Methane has a half life of about 7 years.
SBJ: It seems fortunate that the more powerful greenhouse gasses have shorter half lives.
DK: Yes, but remember, these gasses don't suddenly vanish. When a molecule of methane stops being methane, it becomes C02. It is still a bad thing. Now, if you multiply how much of each gas is in the atmosphere by how reactive it is, then subtract what is decaying due to its half life, you find that over the first 20 years the non-C02 gasses have had the biggest effect.
SBJ: And this is not generally known?
DK: The atmospheric chemistry has been known for quite a while. The big surprise is that small-scale burning produces more non-C02 gasses than originally thought. Scientists just had not looked that closely at inefficient, smoldering cookfires.
SBJ: And you have actually measured the production of these gasses?
DK: That's right. And something I hope to look at more closely at this summer, while in Kenya, is the effect oxygen availability has on non-CO2 gas production. This could be significant. The high efficiency ceramic stoves currently being disseminated, reduce wood consumption by reducing oxygen supply. We might be producing just as much or more of greenhouse gasses with less wood. We will also be looking at baking bricks in a large solar box, eliminating another smoldering burn that produces lots on non-CO2 gasses.
SBJ: So, could you sum up the ramifications of all this for solar cooking?
DK: The contribution cooking fires make to the global "greenhouse budget" has been underestimated. The potential contribution solar cooking can make is bigger than we'd thought. The scary thing is this: even if by the year 2000 we wise up and do all the right things, we still have a long time to live with what we have done already. That is why it is so important that we get moving right away!
This document is published on The Solar Cooking Archive at http://solarcooking.org/ghouse.htm. For questions or comments, contact webmaster@solarcooking.org
RE: http://solarcooking.org/ghouse.htm
What's In That Wood Smoke?
Air Resources
What's In That Smoke?
Excerpt from New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services web site
For many the smell of wood smoke from a fireplace elicits fond memories of hearth and home. There is a lack of awareness, however, that wood smoke has become a major source of air pollution in the United States. Combustion of organic matter such as wood and yard debris releases a variety of harmful substances, including particulates, carcinogens, carbon monoxide, respiratory irritants and toxins. Many people--infants and children, pregnant women, senior citizens, and those suffering from allergies, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, or other heart or lung diseases--are at risk from the pollution released by wood smoke.
Compounds released during the combustion process interfere with normal lung development and function. Indoor and outdoor air quality can be degraded significantly by the use of poorly designed, non-certified wood stoves. Poor burning processes, lack of maintenance, improper stove installation, and burning wet wood create excessive amounts of pollution. Fires left smoldering to keep a house warm during the night can also be particularly harmful. Smoldering wood burns slower and incompletely, thereby releasing more smoke and gas into the air.
Wood smoke contains tiny particles of creosote, soot, and ash that can remain airborne for up to three weeks. Small particles of solid and liquid matter suspended in the air are called particulate matter, or "PM." PM10 are those particles 10 microns or less in diameter. (In comparison, a human hair is approximately 70 microns in diameter.) PM2.5, or "fine" particulate matter, are those particles 2.5 microns or less in diameter. Inhaling fine PM causes coughing, irritation, and permanent scaring of the lungs. This type of damage decreases lung function, increases the potential for respiratory illness, and may contribute to cancer, heart disease, and changes in DNA, leading to auto-immune diseases. Because of the health threats associated with particulate air pollution, the federal government regulates all particulate matter as one of the six major air pollutants.
Particulate pollution from wood stoves is primarily produced in the winter when stagnant air and temperature inversions limit air movement. At this time smoke is unable to rise and disperse, and this pollution becomes trapped close to the ground in our breathing space. Areas with valleys and poor air circulation can be strongly affected. The small size of these particles allows them to seep into houses through closed doors and windows.
Many of the small particles from wood smoke are too small to be filtered by the nose or upper respiratory system. Therefore, they are able to penetrate deep within the lungs, and they collect in the most remote portions of the lungs called the alveoli, which are tiny air sacs where oxygen enters the blood stream. Due to their ability to evade the defenses of the body, these particles are efficient vehicles for transporting toxic gases, bacteria, and viruses into the lungs, and ultimately the blood stream. Some toxic compounds are cancer-causing and can attach to the smallest smoke particles and enter the lungs at the same time. Particulate matter can clump together, blocking tiny veins as well as invoking harmful structural and chemical changes in the lungs.
A report released by the Washington State Department of Ecology based on research conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle and the EPA in Boise, Idaho, found that indoor PM10 levels from wood smoke in homes without woodstoves can reach 50-70 percent of the outdoor PM levels. The PM released from wood heating can also cause biological mutations (chromosome defects and genetic damage) in cells of the lungs. Mutagens and carcinogens are not exactly the same and not all mutagenic substances cause cancer. Mutations brought about by wood smoke, however, potentially lead to cancer formation. In 1988 an EPA study found that biological mutations in bacteria exposed to winter air samples increased with higher concentrations of fine particulate matter and were most numerous at the times of coldest temperatures, weekends, and holidays when wood stoves were used the most.
The cancer threat from air pollution is another serious public heath concern. In 1985 the EPA started a research program to clarify the sources of air pollution and to estimate their future cancer risk (Washington State Department of Ecology 1997). Their research determined that motor vehicles and wood stoves were the major sources of particulate air pollution and associated cancer risk in the urban airsheds studied. According to the EPA, many of the substances identified in wood smoke are suspected human carcinogens or co-carcinogens. These compounds include many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo(a)pyrene, and various aldehydes, alkenes, and semi-volatile organic compounds.
[For information about the health risks from exposure to air toxics. See EPA's Health Risk Assessment brochure
(see http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/3_90_022.html)]
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is also produced when wood is burned. Once in the blood stream, it reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen to body tissues. Respiratory toxins and irritants, including nitrogen dioxide, are also released during wood combustion. These compounds impair the respiratory system and reduce its ability to fight infection.
Wood Smoke vs. Cigarette Smoke
Although many people associate tobacco smoke with certain health risks, research indicates that second hand wood smoke has potentially even greater ability to damage health. A comparison between tobacco smoke and wood smoke using electron spin resonance revealed quite startling results (Rozenberg 2001, Wood Smoke is More Damaging than Tobacco Smoke). Tobacco smoke causes damage in the body for approximately 30 seconds after it is inhaled. Wood smoke, however, continues to be chemically active and cause damage to cells in the body for up to 20 minutes, or 40 times longer.
Some of the components in wood smoke are free radicals, which steal electrons from the body, leaving cells unstable or injured. Some of these cells may die, while others may be altered and take on different functions. These changes lead to inflammation, which causes stress on the body. EPA researchers suggest that the lifetime cancer risk from wood stove emissions may be 12 times greater than the lifetime cancer risk from exposure to an equal amount of cigarette smoke. (Rozenberg 2001, What's in Wood Smoke and Other Emissions).
Excerpt from New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services web site
http://www.des.state.nh.us/ard/smoke.htm
What's In That Smoke?
Excerpt from New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services web site
For many the smell of wood smoke from a fireplace elicits fond memories of hearth and home. There is a lack of awareness, however, that wood smoke has become a major source of air pollution in the United States. Combustion of organic matter such as wood and yard debris releases a variety of harmful substances, including particulates, carcinogens, carbon monoxide, respiratory irritants and toxins. Many people--infants and children, pregnant women, senior citizens, and those suffering from allergies, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, or other heart or lung diseases--are at risk from the pollution released by wood smoke.
Compounds released during the combustion process interfere with normal lung development and function. Indoor and outdoor air quality can be degraded significantly by the use of poorly designed, non-certified wood stoves. Poor burning processes, lack of maintenance, improper stove installation, and burning wet wood create excessive amounts of pollution. Fires left smoldering to keep a house warm during the night can also be particularly harmful. Smoldering wood burns slower and incompletely, thereby releasing more smoke and gas into the air.
Wood smoke contains tiny particles of creosote, soot, and ash that can remain airborne for up to three weeks. Small particles of solid and liquid matter suspended in the air are called particulate matter, or "PM." PM10 are those particles 10 microns or less in diameter. (In comparison, a human hair is approximately 70 microns in diameter.) PM2.5, or "fine" particulate matter, are those particles 2.5 microns or less in diameter. Inhaling fine PM causes coughing, irritation, and permanent scaring of the lungs. This type of damage decreases lung function, increases the potential for respiratory illness, and may contribute to cancer, heart disease, and changes in DNA, leading to auto-immune diseases. Because of the health threats associated with particulate air pollution, the federal government regulates all particulate matter as one of the six major air pollutants.
Particulate pollution from wood stoves is primarily produced in the winter when stagnant air and temperature inversions limit air movement. At this time smoke is unable to rise and disperse, and this pollution becomes trapped close to the ground in our breathing space. Areas with valleys and poor air circulation can be strongly affected. The small size of these particles allows them to seep into houses through closed doors and windows.
Many of the small particles from wood smoke are too small to be filtered by the nose or upper respiratory system. Therefore, they are able to penetrate deep within the lungs, and they collect in the most remote portions of the lungs called the alveoli, which are tiny air sacs where oxygen enters the blood stream. Due to their ability to evade the defenses of the body, these particles are efficient vehicles for transporting toxic gases, bacteria, and viruses into the lungs, and ultimately the blood stream. Some toxic compounds are cancer-causing and can attach to the smallest smoke particles and enter the lungs at the same time. Particulate matter can clump together, blocking tiny veins as well as invoking harmful structural and chemical changes in the lungs.
A report released by the Washington State Department of Ecology based on research conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle and the EPA in Boise, Idaho, found that indoor PM10 levels from wood smoke in homes without woodstoves can reach 50-70 percent of the outdoor PM levels. The PM released from wood heating can also cause biological mutations (chromosome defects and genetic damage) in cells of the lungs. Mutagens and carcinogens are not exactly the same and not all mutagenic substances cause cancer. Mutations brought about by wood smoke, however, potentially lead to cancer formation. In 1988 an EPA study found that biological mutations in bacteria exposed to winter air samples increased with higher concentrations of fine particulate matter and were most numerous at the times of coldest temperatures, weekends, and holidays when wood stoves were used the most.
The cancer threat from air pollution is another serious public heath concern. In 1985 the EPA started a research program to clarify the sources of air pollution and to estimate their future cancer risk (Washington State Department of Ecology 1997). Their research determined that motor vehicles and wood stoves were the major sources of particulate air pollution and associated cancer risk in the urban airsheds studied. According to the EPA, many of the substances identified in wood smoke are suspected human carcinogens or co-carcinogens. These compounds include many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as benzo(a)pyrene, and various aldehydes, alkenes, and semi-volatile organic compounds.
[For information about the health risks from exposure to air toxics. See EPA's Health Risk Assessment brochure
(see http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/3_90_022.html)]
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is also produced when wood is burned. Once in the blood stream, it reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen to body tissues. Respiratory toxins and irritants, including nitrogen dioxide, are also released during wood combustion. These compounds impair the respiratory system and reduce its ability to fight infection.
Wood Smoke vs. Cigarette Smoke
Although many people associate tobacco smoke with certain health risks, research indicates that second hand wood smoke has potentially even greater ability to damage health. A comparison between tobacco smoke and wood smoke using electron spin resonance revealed quite startling results (Rozenberg 2001, Wood Smoke is More Damaging than Tobacco Smoke). Tobacco smoke causes damage in the body for approximately 30 seconds after it is inhaled. Wood smoke, however, continues to be chemically active and cause damage to cells in the body for up to 20 minutes, or 40 times longer.
Some of the components in wood smoke are free radicals, which steal electrons from the body, leaving cells unstable or injured. Some of these cells may die, while others may be altered and take on different functions. These changes lead to inflammation, which causes stress on the body. EPA researchers suggest that the lifetime cancer risk from wood stove emissions may be 12 times greater than the lifetime cancer risk from exposure to an equal amount of cigarette smoke. (Rozenberg 2001, What's in Wood Smoke and Other Emissions).
Excerpt from New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services web site
http://www.des.state.nh.us/ard/smoke.htm
Outdoor wood-burning furnaces create problems in Texas Township
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Outdoor wood-burning furnaces create problems in Texas Township
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Kalamazoo Gazette
BY WAYNE CAVANAUGH
Increased energy costs have driven many to look for alternative energy sources. There are many proven options from energy audits and insulation, to solar and geothermal. There is, however, one approach that is causing a surge of citizen complaints and lawsuits in every cold-weather state in the country. It is a currently unregulated device called an outdoor wood boiler or outdoor wood-burning furnace.
OWBs resemble a tool shed or outhouse with a short chimney pipe and are fueled by anything from firewood to trash. They heat water that is fed back through an underground pipe into existing home mechanical systems. OWBs are sold in vacant parking lots and roadside stands to users who connect them to their existing indoor systems without inspection or permits. Living next to one means a 24-hour-a-day sentence of not being able open your windows or spend time outdoors because of the constant smoke. There are also issues of health and lowered property values.
Advertisement
Unfortunately, some people in Texas Township rigged up their OWBs and let them burn. With home sales hovering at all time lows, Realtors report a neighbor's OWB is a real deal killer. So far, with more than a year's worth of complaints and meetings, the Texas Township Board has failed to pass an ordinance to stop them.
State and federal government research links the fine particles in OWB smoke to asthma, reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, cancer and premature death in people with heart and lung disease.
The Environmental Protection Agency and state departments of health and air quality from Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York and Michigan all agree on the science and the serious health risks caused by OWBs. Because the human body cannot process the OWB fine particulate, it lodges permanently in lung tissue. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have categorized OWB emissions as a human carcinogen.
Currently, OWBs are unregulated by the EPA because technically they are not inside the home. Public outcry, however, caused the cold-weather states, including Michigan, to petition the EPA to close the loophole and intervene. The EPA recently announced new voluntary manufacturing standards and a model ordinance for local governments to use while federal legislation is created. According to the EPA, these model laws can be implemented faster than federal legislation. Thousands of local governments took immediate action. Washington passed a total statewide ban. Local governments across America have followed suit by adopting local bans or by enforcing setback distances, smoke stack heights, and seasonal burn limitations. The citizens of Texas Township are still waiting.
Texas Township is a grand example of the political issues of OWB use. The township board was presented with numerous complaints and science well over a year ago. Board presentations and public comments ensued. The board presented several versions of several draft ordinances over a period of seven months, unanimously endorsed publishing one ordinance, limited public comments on another to one minute, then failed to vote any into law.
The latest proposed ordinance is clearly aligned to protect the OWB users with little regard for their neighbors, the local environment or the quality of life in Texas Township. It grandfathers current OWBs to burn 24 hours a day, 300 feet outside anyone's bedroom window. More amazing, it allows an unbridled number of new OWBs to be erected on three-acre lots. While the EPA model ordinance recommends that an OWB be set back 500 feet from the user's property line, Texas Township has decided that 50 feet will do. While the EPA and Michigan models recommend smokestack heights higher than the peak of any domicile within 500 feet, the Texas Township ordinance calls for a 300-foot setback with a smoke stack just 20 feet above the grade plane.
The only possible explanation is that the board is trying to appease the nine users because they sympathize with those who paid upwards of $8,000 for these unregulated devices. The meeting's public comments often echo ``buyer beware'' as even a quick search will lead the buyer to state reports and an attorney general report that refer to OWBs as the least efficient and dirtiest of all heat sources.
Public officials are not elected to tend to the needs and wants of a small special interest group who chose to smoke out their neighbors under the guise of saving money on energy bills. They are elected to make difficult but important decisions regarding the entire township's health and quality of life. There are far better energy options that preserve the country culture of the area without creating a public nuisance and lowered property values.
It's time for Texas Township and all of Michigan's local governments to step up and do the right thing. It's time to ban the burners.
Wayne Cavanaugh is a commentator for the BBC, London; host and former executive producer for Animal Planet and Discovery Television, and a resident of Texas Township.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Kalamazoo Gazette
BY WAYNE CAVANAUGH
Increased energy costs have driven many to look for alternative energy sources. There are many proven options from energy audits and insulation, to solar and geothermal. There is, however, one approach that is causing a surge of citizen complaints and lawsuits in every cold-weather state in the country. It is a currently unregulated device called an outdoor wood boiler or outdoor wood-burning furnace.
OWBs resemble a tool shed or outhouse with a short chimney pipe and are fueled by anything from firewood to trash. They heat water that is fed back through an underground pipe into existing home mechanical systems. OWBs are sold in vacant parking lots and roadside stands to users who connect them to their existing indoor systems without inspection or permits. Living next to one means a 24-hour-a-day sentence of not being able open your windows or spend time outdoors because of the constant smoke. There are also issues of health and lowered property values.
Advertisement
Unfortunately, some people in Texas Township rigged up their OWBs and let them burn. With home sales hovering at all time lows, Realtors report a neighbor's OWB is a real deal killer. So far, with more than a year's worth of complaints and meetings, the Texas Township Board has failed to pass an ordinance to stop them.
State and federal government research links the fine particles in OWB smoke to asthma, reduced lung function, chronic bronchitis, irregular heartbeat, cancer and premature death in people with heart and lung disease.
The Environmental Protection Agency and state departments of health and air quality from Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York and Michigan all agree on the science and the serious health risks caused by OWBs. Because the human body cannot process the OWB fine particulate, it lodges permanently in lung tissue. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have categorized OWB emissions as a human carcinogen.
Currently, OWBs are unregulated by the EPA because technically they are not inside the home. Public outcry, however, caused the cold-weather states, including Michigan, to petition the EPA to close the loophole and intervene. The EPA recently announced new voluntary manufacturing standards and a model ordinance for local governments to use while federal legislation is created. According to the EPA, these model laws can be implemented faster than federal legislation. Thousands of local governments took immediate action. Washington passed a total statewide ban. Local governments across America have followed suit by adopting local bans or by enforcing setback distances, smoke stack heights, and seasonal burn limitations. The citizens of Texas Township are still waiting.
Texas Township is a grand example of the political issues of OWB use. The township board was presented with numerous complaints and science well over a year ago. Board presentations and public comments ensued. The board presented several versions of several draft ordinances over a period of seven months, unanimously endorsed publishing one ordinance, limited public comments on another to one minute, then failed to vote any into law.
The latest proposed ordinance is clearly aligned to protect the OWB users with little regard for their neighbors, the local environment or the quality of life in Texas Township. It grandfathers current OWBs to burn 24 hours a day, 300 feet outside anyone's bedroom window. More amazing, it allows an unbridled number of new OWBs to be erected on three-acre lots. While the EPA model ordinance recommends that an OWB be set back 500 feet from the user's property line, Texas Township has decided that 50 feet will do. While the EPA and Michigan models recommend smokestack heights higher than the peak of any domicile within 500 feet, the Texas Township ordinance calls for a 300-foot setback with a smoke stack just 20 feet above the grade plane.
The only possible explanation is that the board is trying to appease the nine users because they sympathize with those who paid upwards of $8,000 for these unregulated devices. The meeting's public comments often echo ``buyer beware'' as even a quick search will lead the buyer to state reports and an attorney general report that refer to OWBs as the least efficient and dirtiest of all heat sources.
Public officials are not elected to tend to the needs and wants of a small special interest group who chose to smoke out their neighbors under the guise of saving money on energy bills. They are elected to make difficult but important decisions regarding the entire township's health and quality of life. There are far better energy options that preserve the country culture of the area without creating a public nuisance and lowered property values.
It's time for Texas Township and all of Michigan's local governments to step up and do the right thing. It's time to ban the burners.
Wayne Cavanaugh is a commentator for the BBC, London; host and former executive producer for Animal Planet and Discovery Television, and a resident of Texas Township.
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