Date: February 21, 2010 9:46:49 AM MST (CA)
To: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca
Subject: Environment Canada Public Education Materials: Wood Smoke Needs to be a Major Focus
Hello,
It's good to see the increased focus on clean air for Canadians. However, it's concerning that residential wood burning, a growing cause of indoor and outdoor air pollution, is not directly addressed on the Clean Air Act brochure, and not more strongly discouraged on other pages of the Environment Canada web site.
Wood burning is becoming a problem in many Canadian communities, as wood smoke releases much more fine particle pollution than heating with cleaner burning, non-solid fuels like natural gas and propane. Wood smoke in our neighbourhood has affected the health of my children and me - smoke from outdoor burning this past spring, and neighbourhood wood smoke pollution over this past fall and winter, caused health issues for us that were at times quite serious.
"The time for talk is over. The time for action is now." This statement at the end of the Clean Air Act brochure is so true, but Canadians visiting the Clean Air Act brochure web page and other Environment Canada and government links need to see that it's time to take action immediately toward the elimination of wood smoke emissions in all residential areas where less polluting fuels are available. Many communities are already taking action through public education efforts, regulations and bans, to prevent wood smoke pollution, and protect residents from toxic wood smoke emissions.
Environment Canada needs to show strong leadership and direction in this area. In some US states, air quality has been so harmed by wood burning emissions that major efforts are now needed to turn the tide and actively encourage people to switch to cleaner burning fuels. The American Lung Association has officially stated that people need to choose cleaner burning fuels instead of wood whenever possible. In places like California, even the fireplace industry is making the shift toward gas burning fireplaces in response to the movement away from unnecessary residential wood burning.
The disproportionate emphasis on vehicle and fossil fuels emissions in recent years has obscured the increasingly urgent problem of wood burning emissions, which produce pollution in great amounts that directly impact entire neighbourhoods, and the air quality of whole communities. Environment Canada needs to step in and make a clear distinction between the relatively miniscule emissions from heating with natural gas, propane, or even fuel oil, compared with wood burning, which can produce hundreds of times more particle pollution. In all regions of Canada where cleaner burning fuels are available, Environment Canada should strongly encourage people to use those cleaner burning fuels instead of wood.
In all areas where protective local bylaws are not yet in place to restrict or eliminate wood burning, the need to make people see that burning wood is very harmful for the environment and for community health is urgent. I hope that Environment Canada will consider making wood smoke a major focus of its website, links, and publications. Thank you very much for your consideration of increased attention to this important environment and health issue.
Sincerely,
Cathy Baiton
Lethbridge, Alberta
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