When you can't breathe, nothing else matters

Looking for people from Toronto & London, Ontario who are having wood smoke problems in residential areas.

Click here to contact me

Please check out CLEAN AIR MATTERS on FaceBook .. a new Alberta site!

Statewide ban on open burning now in effect for all of New York State!... All new outdoor wood furnaces & boilers are now banned in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin!

Montreal, Quebec council unanimously passed a bylaw banning the installation of any new wood burning stoves and fireplaces! ..  May 03/2009 - Al Gore calls on world to burn less wood & fuel to curb black soot.

There are 28 signatures on our small neighborhood petition demanding that no more smoke is released in this area!

Please click here to send me your smoke stories and photos to add to my research.

(If you would, please send your town and province or state where this is occurring)

2006 DATA Excerpted from: http://www.pollutionwatch.org/

Climate Change Killing 300,000 Per Year Excerpted from CNN Science News, World News     LONDON (May 29) -- The first comprehensive report into the human cost of climate change warns the world is in the throes of a "silent crisis" that is killing 300,000 people each year. More than 300 million people are already seriously affected by the gradual warming of the earth and that number is set to double by 2030, the report from the Global Humanitarian Forum warns.

 

Video of what a family in Oak Grove MN is dealing with Click here for the video

A heart-breaking story and video of a family subjected to wood smoke Click here for the video

Huntington, NY just totally BANNED OWBs   There were no grandfather laws because they never had laws!
Outdoor wood boilers banned Submitted by Nancy Huddleston on May 28, 2009    Excerpted from Savage Pacer, Savage, Minnesota Prohibiting outdoor wood boilers was approved May 18 by the Savage City Council. Smoke and emission problems have been associated with the use of outdoor wood boilers and many cities in the metro area have banned them because of the nuisance. There have been some inquiries at city hall from residents, according to a memo to the City Council from Senior Planner Terri Dill. The devices have increased in popularity recently due to rising costs for standard heating methods. The boilers typically look like a small shack with metal siding and are most often used on larger, more rural lots because of the smoke they generate, according to Dill. The ordinance specifically classifies the wood boilers as a nuisance under the section of the city code about public nuisances affecting health.
Montreal Council Approves Stove Ban Excerpted from the Montreal Gazette April 29, 2009     It's finally official! There won’t be any installing of wood-burning stoves in any house in the city of Montreal. Yesterday, the city council unanimously passed a controversial bylaw that outlaws the installation of new wood burning appliances such as stoves and fireplaces. They will still allow wood pellet, natural gas and electric stoves. The ban aims to reduce wood smoke, which makes up a large portion of winter smog. Montreal had 45 smog days between Nov. 1 and March 31.
Prince George, B.C. to Revamp Clean Air Bylaw BYLAW AMENDMENT OPTIONS Open Burning Complete ban of open burning within City limits Allowing open burning on larger properties outside the bowl area Issue permits to allow burning outside the bowl area Recreational Fires Complete ban of recreational fires with City limits Allowing recreational fires on a minimum property size Allowing recreational fires in certain areas of the City of Prince George Issue permits to allow recreational fires Woodburning Appliances “Sunset clause” that requires older (pre-1994) models be removed by a set date Require the removal of an older unit during a property sale or transfer Require all new homes to be built with a secondary source of heat (cannot install a woodstove only) Ban installation of woodburning appliances in new construction
Lung Association Disagrees with Claim March 28/2009 The March 16, edition of The Post-Journal included an article titled ''State Changing Burning Regulations'' which highlights proposed regulations regarding outdoor wood boilers. In the article, Assemblyman Parment is quoted as saying, ''... it's excessive regulatory framework for outdoor wood burners,'' and that, ''they're not causing any problems.'' With this the American Lung Association in New York could not disagree more. Outdoor wood boilers are wreaking havoc across New York, polluting the air and making breathing difficult for New Yorkers forced to breathe the smoke they produce. Wood smoke emissions contain components such as carbon monoxide, various irritant gases, and chemicals known or suspected to be carcinogens, such as dioxin. Burning wood in close proximity to residential housing, without setback or stack regulation, creates a corridor for dirty aid. Without regulating the location or height of an outdoor wood boilers chimney, it is likely that the wood you burn may create toxic smoke that your neighbors are forced to breathe. The health effects of wood smoke exposure include increased coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks, increased hospital admissions for lower respiratory infections, and difficulty breathing. Moreover, population studies have shown that young children are among those most likely to be affected. Wood smoke can also be linked with a variety of other health effects, including increased risks of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for cardiopulmonary conditions and premature death. According to the American Lung Association's 2008 State of the Air report (www.alany.org), Chautauqua County received a failing grade for air quality with dangerously high levels of ozone. Add in the high level of particulate matter generated by outdoor wood smoke, and you have a recipe for dirty, dangerous air. Simply said, the negative health consequences from outdoor wood boilers outweigh the money saved from heating with wood. Michael Seilback Vice President, Public Policy & Communications American Lung Association in New York
Asthmatic and clean air campaigner Clive Stott was off to the Magistrates court in Launceston  Monday December 8th at 9.30am. He considers himself fortunate to be able to attend because the last few years of the forest industry's 'planned-burn' smoke almost killed him. A former state health worker himself, you can read his story and what he is doing to help people breathe clean air in Tasmania at www.cleanairtas.com   Update: Clive received just a minor fine, which was paid by his many supporters. Click here to see the video of Clive's stupendous effort to get his point across!

'Open fire' regulations mark rural-urban split .. Windsor, Ontario Click here for full story

Burn ban orders will have new teeth - Puget Sound region Click here for full story

Winter Wood-burning Causes Health Concerns Click here for full story

Hampstead, Quebec passes by-law banning wood-burning 'appliances' by Martin C. Barry By-law No. 729-2, dealing with construction and plumbing, as well as wood-burning appliances, states that "no person shall install a wood burning appliance, in which wood or solid fuel is burned and which discharges combustion products to the air, in or about any residential property." The by-law defines "wood burning appliance" as "a fireplace insert, wood stove, central furnace or similar device, including a pellet stove and any outdoor solid fuel combustion appliance." It further states that "this by-law does not apply to barbeques." A fireplace insert is a device, usually a steel chamber with glass door in front and vents around, that is inserted into a brick fireplace. Its purpose is to increase heating efficiency.  Click here for full story

It’s the beginning of the end for wood-burning fireplaces!!! Click here for full story
Airborne attack sparks lawsuit  ... read the article by Chris Halliday on the 'Other Cases' link.
Launceston City Council and Tasmanian State protester (Rod Farmer) is out to shame the government in order to enforce regulations regarding wood smoke.    Click here to read his blog.
Oakley, California ..To reduce air pollution, wood-burning fireplaces in homes and gas-burning fireplaces or pits in recreation areas will not be allowed, and efficient heating, ventilation and appliances as well as window and wall insulation will be required. In addition, landscaping will be drought-resistant and 220-volt electrical outlets will be provided for recharging electric and hybrid vehicles. Click here for full story.
Survey raises wood-heating concerns (Maine)  Click here for full story.
A petition from our small neighborhood contains the signatures of 27 residents who demand that no more smoke be released from our neighbor's property for any reason! As stated in the petition, all were affected by the stench and noxious fumes that were released from that property. Now that they are able to enjoy their homes & property again, as they have the right to, they do not want any release of smoke again.

 

cleanairtas.com Visit this informative site by clicking the link above.	Visit No CCA Wood by clicking the above button.
Take Back the Air Visit this great site by clicking the link above.	Click logo for a great site for OWB information.
Click above logo for a super Blog spot	Click logo to visit this New York site
Click above link for RAWSEP: Residents against wood smoke emission particulates	Click above link to visit this great site.
Click above logo for a most informative site!	Visit Burning Issues by clicking the above button.

Newspaper article of April 16, 2008

Jim & Shirley Brandie  v  Salvatore DeSantis & Marina Estrella

Article from United Press International

 

Residential wood burning releases harmful and toxic pollutants into the air we breathe. These pollutants are so tiny they are emitted both indoors and outdoors...and seep into our homes through cracks, ventilation systems and even around closed doors and windows. Breathing in wood smoke in any quantity is not good for anyone. Why should we be subjected to any residential wood burning smoke and odour in our homes, yards and neighborhoods...especially against our will.

Dioxins and furans are some of the most toxic chemicals known to science. ... The EPA report confirmed that dioxin is a cancer hazard to people. When you burn wood you produce dioxin. A recent Lawrence Livermore study found that while wood burning was the third largest source of dioxin in many cities.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons are produced in abundance when you burn wood. "They are primarily formed by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels such as wood, coal, diesel, fat, or tobacco. Tar also contains PAHs. Since human civilization relies so heavily on combustion, PAHs are inevitably linked to our energy production. In this sense, PAH can be thought of as marker molecules as their abundance can be directly proportional to combustion processes in the region and therefore directly related to air quality. Different types of combustion yield different distributions of PAHs."� Wikipedia�

In February of 1995 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission received a report on indoor carcinogenic pollutant emissions from EPA Phase II Wood Stoves: Normalizing for the rate of wood consumption during each test, the average Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) source strength is 32 ng/kg of wood burned. The average Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) source strength is 360 ng/kg of wood. This is the exposure on average to the user. The neighbor, of course, gets the brunt of wood smoke pollution. (NISTIR 5575) U.S. Department of Commerce.

The EPA estimates that the lifetime cancer risk from wood stove smoke is twelve times greater than that from an equal volume of second hand tobacco smoke. (The Health Effects of Wood Smoke, Washington State Department of Ecology) "Burning two cords of wood produces the same amount of mutagenic particles as: Driving 13 gasoline powered cars 10,000 miles each at 20 miles/gallon. These figures indicate that the worst contribution that an individual is likely to make to the mutagenicity of the air is using a wood stove for heating, followed by driving a diesel car." ( Dr. Joellen Lewtas, Contribution of Source Emissions of the Mutagenicity of Ambient Urban Air Particles, U.S. EPA, #91-131.6, 1991 )