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Wood-burning fireplaces are becoming more popular. There's something romantic and relaxing about sitting near a fireplace, hearing the crackle of the wood, and gazing at the flickering flames. And with soaring fossil fuel prices, many people believe that it's less expensive to burn wood for heat during the winter. But research shows that central heating is typically the most efficient and cheapest way to heat. Many people also think that burning wood is better for the environment since wood is a renewable resource; however, according the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), wood burning is not environmentally friendly. In fact, wood results in high levels of air pollution that can harm the environment and your health.
"The largest single source of outdoor fine particles entering into our homes in many American cities is our neighbor's fireplace or wood stove," says Dr. Wayne Ott of Stanford University.
Wood smoke contains many of the same chemicals as cigarette smoke, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, hazardous metals, and known carcinogens such as formaldehyde, dioxin, benzene, and toluene. Inhaling wood smoke appears to be even more dangerous than inhaling tobacco smoke. An EPA study concluded that breathing wood smoke particles during high pollution days is equivalent to smoking 4 to 16 cigarettes. Medical studies have linked air pollution with lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, congenital heart defects, asthma, and even brain damage. People most at-risk for damage from air pollution include asthma sufferers, diabetics, those with congenital hearth failure, and children.
Dr. Ramierez-Venegas of the UK explains, "Biomass [wood] smoke is composed of a relatively equal mixture of coarse and ultra-fine particles and can penetrate deeply into the lung, producing a variety of morphologic and biochemical changes."
"Mammalian lungs don't have defenses against small particles," points out Joel Schwartz of the EPA. "Particulate pollution is the most important contaminant in our air... We know that when particle levels go up, people die."
Of course, it's best to avoid burning wood (for the benefit of your family, your neighbors, and the environment), but if you must, you can take steps to limit your exposure to the air pollution. Make sure your fireplace is working properly with a sufficient draft. Tightly sealed doors in front of the fireplace block out much pollution. Don't burn trash or treated wood, and make sure your wood has been split and dried for at least six months. Use small pieces of wood. Small, hot fires give off less pollution than smoldering fires.
Many air purifiers are specifically designed to handle the air pollution from smoke. Blueair air purifiers are available with SmokeStop Filters. The AllerAir 5000 DS air purifier is designed to absorb smoke, tar, fine ash, and other airborne particulates, and the IQAir Multigas air purifier removes a wide spectrum of gases and particulates, including smoke. If you want to get rid of the odor from smoke, try the Gonzo Smoke Odor Eliminator.
For more information about the medical hazards of wood smoke, visit Burning Issues, a non-profit research and educational organization.
If you plan to move to a new home or to build a home, you may draw a line through a fireplace as a necessity. Although people love the warmth, comforting crackling sounds, aromas, and moving light a wood burning fire provides, fireplaces can emit polluted air into your home and into your neighborhood.
Most home shoppers request a fireplace. Home buyers desire a hearth, which symbolizes home. Families gather around the fireplace during holiday celebrations and quiet conversations. Book lovers enjoy curling up next to a fire on a cool afternoon. Many new homes feature fireplaces in the main bedroom. After all, what's more romantic than a fire?
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wood-burning fireplaces emit nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, organic gases, and particulate matter. These pollutants can cause serious health problems for children, pregnant women, and people with respiratory problems. Like cigarette smoke, some of these elements contain cancer-causing properties.
Some urban cities have considered banning wood-burning fireplaces altogether to stem the flow of pollutants in the smog-filled air. Some California cities and counties have enacted local ordinances to limit the growing wood smoke problem. Mammoth Lakes, Squaw Valley, Cloverdale, Fresno, and many cities and counties in the Bay Area permit installation of only U.S.EPA certified wood-fired appliances in all new construction. Since 1991, the Bay Area AQMD has issued advisories for a voluntary no-burn program on poor air quality nights, "Spare the Air Tonight."
But wait! Solutions exist so you can enjoy your fire. To keep pollutants from entering your room air, you can install a certified clean-burning fireplace insert and a glass screen. Buy a carbon monoxide monitor and an oxygen-depletion sensor to ensure safe air. The new fireplace systems keep pollutants from leaving your chimney.
Other considerations for you to ponder include the source of heating for your home. What happens when natural gas demand outpaces production? Prices skyrocket. And if your heat comes from a coal-burning electrical plant, doesn't the burning coal produce toxins that pollute the air?
If you're building a new home, consider installing a Pellet Stove, the most efficient and least polluting of the new stove designs. Pellet Stoves provide less than 1 gram per hour of particulate emissions. Most of these stoves s require electricity and burn compressed wood waste formed into pellets.
Be kind to yourself and to the environment. Consider these environmental issues when you light up your fire.
Copyright © Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.