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!
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!
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