feb 09 
Question by Jason
Send this post to a friendWhy is nothing said or done about the danger of the wood smoke that pours out of millions of chimneys each winter (and about the smoke from barbecues in summer)? Not only does it stink but it is 12 times more carcinogenic than cigarette smoke and sends many people to the ER every winter (as a respiratory therapist I can attest to this). How can we educate people about this dangerous threat? What can we do to protect ourselves from our neighbors filthy smoke? I can't even go walking on a winter day in our neighborhood the air is so toxic. Check out www.burningissues.org and see just how toxic wood smoke is and what is in it and how it compares to other types of smoke. How much does this smoke add to global climate change? It must be significant, or has anybody even bothered to find out since this wouldn't be a popular issue.
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1. 03/25/2008 10:39:40 AM
You are absolutely right that wood smoke is a problem. I have not seen any data to suggest that it is "more carcinogenic than cigarette smoke," but I do know that wood smoke triggers violations of the air quality standards for particulate matter in many parts of the country, and that it can contribute to illnesses and death from cardiovascular causes, respiratory problems, and stroke. I have a nice iron stove in my house that burns natural gas. It keeps the room cozy and makes pretty flames. Better still, it doesn’t pollute the air or stink up the house... and I don’t have to clean out any ashes! I know people feel passionately about their "right" to have a fireplace, but unless we live far out in the country, that may need to change. Thank you for raising this important issue. After all, do we really want to send our neighbor to the hospital in exchange for our cozy evening in front of the toxic fire?
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