Letter to the Editor-Daily Herald

Letter to the Editor-Fence Post
Daily Herald Newspaper
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Published---March 5, 2008

The Daily Herald story (Feb. 24) about the Breathe Healthy Air Coalition's efforts on our behalf is very encouraging. Their actions to clean up the air in Illinois by alerting us to the adverse health effects of smoke from residential biomass burning (wood, leaves, yard waste etc), seeking a ban on wood burning, and proposing governmental financial incentives to convert indoor wood-burning fireplaces to gas or electric is to be commended.

It is an indisputable fact the air quality in the Chicago metropolitan, and the northeastern section of Illinois is unhealthy to humans and the environment because of fine particulate matter, noxious gases, carcinogens, greenhouse gases and poisonous chemicals spewed out by coal burning electric power plants, manufacturing industries, trucks, cars, fireplaces, wood stoves and residential open burning.
Because of the state's poor air quality, in April 2008, Illinois must submit a state implementation plan (SIP) to the U.S. EPA in accordance with the Clean Air Act describing how Illinois will clean up the air in 12 counties (including Lake, Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Kane and Will) that have fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 -- fine solids and aerosols 2.5 microns in diameter and less suspended in air) concentrations above the acceptable standard.

Fine particulate matter comes from many sources. One is the smoke from residential open burning of leaves, yard waste and yes, the beloved recreational campfire. Short-term exposure of humans to fine particulate matter has been linked to death from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, increase in heart attacks, strokes, and in the severity of asthma attacks. Long-term exposure to PM 2.5 has been linked to slow lung function growth in children and increased risk of dying from lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Illinois did a great job of protecting residents from the deleterious effects of breathing second-hand tobacco smoke by banning smoking in many areas. Hopefully, they will follow their good works by including a ban on residential open burning in the State Implementation Plan due to the U.S. EPA in April. Such a ban would protect Illinois residents from the detrimental and lethal effects of breathing the toxic smoke (smoke that contains the same carcinogens and toxic substances as tobacco smoke) from residential campfires, and leaf burning that occur right next-door.

Alexa Chun, R.Ph., Ph.D
Gurnee