MARY J. ROZENBERG – CLEAN AIR REVIVAL 19 October 2011 interviewA one-hour interview with Mary J. Rozenberg, President of Clean Air Revival. For more than 25 years she has been working to educate the public about how wood smoke is toxic and can affect our health. Yes, that’s woodstoves, fireplaces, bar-b-cues, campfires, and more…

Last week a concerned reader sent some information to me about particulate toxicity from wood smoke, asking me to publish it. Below are her words unedited.

I commend you on your work. An issue that many are afraid to bring to the forefront and that is seriously affecting our health and quality of life is the health effects of wood smoke. It’s similar to the smoking and second-hand smoke issue, in that, although government-funded research studies showed it was harming the public health, it took a very long time for legislation banning it to be enacted. Interestingly, the government has a multitude of studies identifying the harmful and serious effects of wood smoke, but offers tax credits to those who install wood burning stoves. The movie “Thank You For Smoking” is a great example of corporations and government doing what is in their best interest, not ours.

In my neighborhood in Ann Arbor, MI, there has been an increase in wood burning in the last two years, and the neighborhood often smells like a campground. Compounded with this are University of Michigan tailgaters invading the city with barbeque grills and portable firepits. Last year I experienced the effects of neighbors’ wood smoke (burning, watery eyes; continuous coughing; headaches; loss of appetite), as did the six year old little girl next door, whose mother had to take her to the emergency room in the middle of the night for a breathing treatment.

Henri Chero, an environmental engineer in Montreal, told me smoke particulate is so small that you can’t keep it out, no matter how airtight your home is. Also, recently in the news, was an article about young children in a town near Sandusky, Ohio, experiencing high rates of leukemia. It is a rural area, and I suspect there are many wood burning appliances being used as an economical measure. Although the article stated that air quality testing had been done, was it done at night and on weekends, when there is likely more burning occurring, and over a prolonged period? In my own state, there has also been an increase in children’s cancer rates in the Marine City area. While polluted water is suspected, what might be the synergistic effect of contaminated water combined with exposure to wood smoke particulate?

Many people enjoy burning wood, whether it’s for ambience or to supplement the heating of their homes, so to restrict it is not a popular issue. However, there are gas fire pits and fireplaces available that would not be as dangerous to our health. People see wood as a renewable resource, but wood smoke is polluting our air, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, and seriously affecting the public health. Wood burning is not essential to life; breathing clean air is.

Following is some of the research and related information on this topic:

The American Lung Association says: “MORE THAN 90% OF THE WOODSMOKE PARTICLE MASS CONSISTS OF FINE PARTICLES, THE FRACTION OF PM THAT MANY RESEARCHERS CONSIDER TO HAVE THE GREATEST ASSOCIATION WITH ADVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES.IN ADDITION TO FINE PM, WOODSMOKE EMISSIONS CONTAIN COMPONENTS SUCH AS CARBON MONOXIDE (AN ASPHYXIANT), VARIOUS IRRITANT GASES SUCH AS NITROGEN DIOXIDE, SULFUR DIOXIDE, HYDROCHLORIC ACID, AND ALDEHYDES SUCH AS FORMALDEHYDE AND ACROLEIN, AND CHEMICALS KNOWN OR SUSPECTED TO BE CARCINOGENS, SUCH AS POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHs), OXYGENATED PAHs, AND POLYCHLORINATED DIOXINS AND FURANS.”

Another research article states: ‘Twice as many women with breast cancer had high PAH Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, (a by-product of wood smoke) levels in their BREAST TUMORS compared with tissue of women without breast cancer.’ Also important to note:Health effects from particulate matter occur after exposures of 2-4 hours or less in duration of woodsmoke at the 12-29mcg range (Koenig et al. 1993).

Excerpted from: the Burning Issue, Box 1045, Point Arena CA 95468 Tel: 707-882-3601,URL: http://burningissues.org

The smoke from your fire can seriously pollute your neighborhood’s air for several hours. In fact, during periods when the wind is still, the hazardous particles and gases in smoke can accumulate to harmful levels for days. Ironically, backyard burning often occurs during calm weather, when the smoke can’t be dispersed — and on the weekend, when many people are out for a “breath of fresh air.” Running inside and closing the doors and windows won’t protect you, since smoke easily seeps through small cracks and holes.

Fine particulates are small enough to be breathed into the deepest reaches of our lungs. They are associated with all sorts of health problems — from a runny nose and coughing, to bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, and even death. Senior citizens, infants and people who already have lung or heart problems are most at risk, but healthy younger adults and children can also be affected.

Particulate pollution is the most important contaminant in our air. …we know that when particle levels go up, people die. A number of studies also show changes in inflammatory markers in the blood, which are risk factors for heart attack.” Joel Schwartz, Ph.D., Harvard School of Public Health, E Magazine, Sept. /Oct. 2002.

50% of the polynuclear organic material (POM) in our air is from residential burning. POMs contain the subgroup PAH. PAHs include benzo(a) pyrene and other known carcinogenic compounds.(In-House Performance of New Technology Wood Stoves, EPA/600/D-90/026)

Wood Smoke/Black Carbon Soot: a Major Cause ofGlobal Warming

The US EPA warns that exposure to a fraction of a nanogram of PAH increases our risk of developing cancer. (Wood Burning Fireplaces: Romance or Risk, BioScience Vol. 32 No 2, February, 1982)

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); (b)”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 or driving 2 diesel powered cars 10,000 miles each @ 30 miles/gallon.

I have spent countless (over100) hours contacting various local and national governmental agencies, politicians, journalists, and local television stations about this issue–all to no avail. My own city (Ann Arbor, MI) would not enforce its Air Quality or Nuisance ordinances when my husband’s and my health were being affected two years ago by a neighbor’s illegal wood stove. Unfortunately, four individuals on our two-block street have been diagnosed with cancer (two have died) within the last two years. These individuals are/were in their early fifties to early sixties. It seems statistically significant that these diagnoses/deaths coincided with the increase in wood smoke particulate in our neighborhood. As a result, my husband and I are planning to sell our home and move away from Ann Arbor.

It is sad that you can follow a healthy lifestyle, yet still have your health jeopardized by other individuals and not be able to do anything about it (not everyone can move). Burning Issues is an organization with a wealth of information on this subject, but they haven’t received the national attention needed to address this issue.

I don’t want to get breast or some other cancer/disease because a neighbor(s) wants to burn wood. People might think wood stoves save money, but at what cost to their and others health? I am disappointed that our govt. allows our health to be jeopardized by known environmental pollutants, especially when it is so concerned about health care costs.

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