{"id":3866,"date":"2014-12-01T11:08:51","date_gmt":"2014-12-01T17:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/?p=3866"},"modified":"2014-12-01T11:08:51","modified_gmt":"2014-12-01T17:08:51","slug":"ten-things-you-need-to-know-if-you-burn-wood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/?p=3866","title":{"rendered":"Ten Things You Need to Know if You Burn Wood"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 1, 2014-by Josh Schlossberg in the Biomass Monitor<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"woodstove_smoke_0\"<\/a>Wood heating is on the rise. 2.7 million U.S. households, making up roughly 2% of the population, are\u00a0projected<\/a>\u00a0to burn wood as a primary heating source over the winter of 2014-2015, a 3.9% increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Approximately 7.7% of households use a wood or pellet stove as a secondary heating source, based on 2012 census data.<\/p>\n

In every state except for the balmy locales of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Hawaii, wood heating has increased over the last decade, largely due to lower costs in comparison to oil and local sourcing opportunities.<\/p>\n

Despite some recent advances in stove technology, wood heating still involves combustion, a process that emits air pollutants that have been linked to various health concerns. With the recent uptick in residential and industrial wood burning, it\u2019s in the public\u2019s best interest to be mindful of the risks that come from stoking up the stove.<\/p>\n

1) Respiratory Problems<\/strong><\/p>\n

Residential wood burning\u00a0\u201cgreatly increases\u201d<\/a>\u00a0the amount of particulate matter (PM) in the air, pollutants smaller in diameter than a human hair, that can lodge deep inside the lungs, as well as enter the bloodstream and organs. Exposure to particulate matter can result in \u201caggravated asthma, chronic bronchitis, non-fatal heart attacks, and premature death,\u201d according to the\u00a0U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<\/a>\u00a0(EPA). PM can also trigger\u00a0emphysema and strokes<\/a>, with children, the elderly, sufferers of lung and heart disease, and those of lower income at highest risk.<\/p>\n

A study by the California Air Resources Board reported that \u201cwood smoke can cause a 10 percent increase of hospital admissions for respiratory problems among children, who are at most risk since their lungs are still developing.\u201d\u00a0Particulate matter can harm lungs during only a\u00a0four hour<\/a>\u00a0exposure and cause even greater damage over the long-term.<\/p>\n

The chance of premature death is\u00a017%<\/a>\u00a0more likely in cities with high particulates compared to those with cleaner air, with every increase of 50 \u00b5g\/m3 (microgram per square meter) of PM into the air resulting in a 6% spike in deaths and 18.5% increase in hospital admissions results, according to a study from the\u00a0Harvard School of Public Health<\/a>. In some cases, up to\u00a090%<\/a>\u00a0of PM pollution can come from residential burning, with wood smoke regularly responsible for\u00a0half<\/a>\u00a0of the California Bay area\u2019s winter PM pollution.<\/p>\n

Other\u00a0health concerns<\/a>\u00a0related to wood smoke include \u201cirritated eyes, throat, sinuses, and lungs; headaches; reduced lung function, especially in children; lung inflammation or swelling; increased risk of lower respiratory diseases; more severe or frequent symptoms from existing lung diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health costs related to wood smoke particulate matter in the U.S. have been estimated at up to\u00a0$150 billion a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2) Carcinogenic\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite wood\u2019s natural origin, wood smoke includes known\u00a0carcinogenic<\/a>\u00a0chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons\u00a0(PAHs)<\/a>, with studies demonstrating that wood smoke can cause\u00a0lung cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wood burning is the\u00a0largest source<\/a>\u00a0of PAHs in the US, with studies showing it to be the \u201cworst contribution\u201d to the air\u2019s mutagenicity (likely to cause mutations in DNA, including cancer). One\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0concluded that burning two cords of wood can emit the same amount of PAHs as driving 13 gasoline powered cars 10,000 miles each at 20 miles\/gallon.<\/p>\n

Other\u00a0studies<\/a>\u00a0have shown that wood smoke causes mouth, throat, lung, breast, and cervical cancer, in scientific literature compiled by Dr. Dorothy L. Robinson. Even\u00a0more studies<\/a>\u00a0linking wood smoke and cancer can be found at the Australian Air Quality Group\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

3) Toxic Chemicals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wood burning emits\u00a0dioxin<\/a>, one of the most toxic and persistent substances on the planet as well as\u00a0isocyanic acid<\/a>, which can cause atherosclerosis, cataracts, and rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n

Combustion of wood also re-releases\u00a0heavy metals<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0radioactive pollution<\/a>\u00a0that have been absorbed by trees, in amounts significant enough that wood ash can qualify as\u00a0hazardous waste<\/a>\u00a0under Europe\u2019s definitions, if the standards for coal ash were applied to wood ash.<\/p>\n

4) Worse Than Cigarettes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The health impacts of cigarettes was one of the biggest public health scandals of the 1980\u2019s, resulting in smoking being banned in restaurants, bars, and other businesses and public places around the world. Despite the risks of cigarettes, you\u2019re\u00a0twelve times<\/a>\u00a0more likely to get cancer from wood smoke in comparison to an equal volume of second hand cigarette smoke, according to the EPA, cited in the Washington State Department of Ecology\u2019s\u00a0The Health Effects of Wood Smoke<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wood smoke is\u00a0thirty times more potent<\/a>\u00a0than cigarette smoke, according to \u201ctumor initiation\u201d tests done on laboratory mice, with\u00a0another study<\/a>\u00a0showing that burning hardwood created three times the likelihood of tumors in mice than cigarette smoke, and more than fifteen times when burning softwood.<\/p>\n

A fireplace burning for an hour puts out\u00a04,300 times<\/a>\u00a0more PAHs than a pack and a half of cigarettes. Additionally, wood smoke \u201cattacks\u201d the cells of the body\u00a0forty times<\/a>\u00a0longer than tobacco, with free radicals from wood smoke chemically active for\u00a0twenty minutes<\/a>, with those of tobacco lasting only thirty seconds.<\/p>\n

Burning 1 kg of wood can emit more carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene than 27,000 cigarettes and more formaldehyde than 6,000 cigarettes, according to\u00a0Comparison of Toxic Chemicals in Wood and Cigarette Smoke<\/a><\/em>, while another study calculated ambient air levels of benzo[a]pyrene from wood smoke the same as smoking\u00a0two to sixteen<\/a>\u00a0cigarettes\/day.<\/p>\n

More comparisons of wood smoke to cigarette smoke are studied in\u00a0Impact of Fuel Choice on Comparative Cancer Risk of Emissions<\/em><\/a>,<\/em>by Joellen Lewtas, Health Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n

5) Exceeds Federal Standards<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0World Health Organization<\/a>\u00a0maintains that exposure to fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) shouldn\u2019t exceed 25 \u03bcg\/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) over a 24 hour average, though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a much laxer\u00a035 \u03bcg\/m3<\/a>\u00a0under its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).<\/p>\n

Yet even with the EPA\u2019s leniency, a single wood stove can be responsible for a neighborhood\u00a0exceeding<\/a>\u00a0even those levels, according to the American Lung Association. Since the beginning of the 2012-2013 winter stove season, the greater Fairbanks, Alaska area has logged 48 days that\u00a0exceeded EPA standards<\/a>. In November 2012, the air quality in the town of North Pole, Alaska, was measured as being twice as bad as Beijing\u2019s, primarily due to wood smoke.<\/p>\n

New Hampshire monitoring<\/a>\u00a0showed wood smoke violating PM standards by almost double the allowed levels in January 2009, with many communities in southwestern New Hampshire recording 35 \u03bcg\/m3 and higher.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0in New York \u2014 where up to 90% of the Particulate Matter measured came from wood combustion \u2014 found 26% of the population was exposed to wood smoke, with the poorer, more crowded and less-white populations receiving the highest levels of PM. Spikes of over 100 \u03bcg\/m3 per cubic meter occurred during nighttime mobile monitoring, with the report linking such peaks to heart and lung problems, including heart attacks and asthma.<\/p>\n

6) Smoke Enters Homes<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a common misconception that the only exposure to wood smoke occurs outdoors. However, a substantial amount of smoke actually\u00a0enters the homes<\/a>\u00a0of wood burners, with particulate matter levels found to be 26% higher, benzene levels 29% higher, and PAHs 300% to 500% higher in the homes of wood burners, compared to those who use other heating sources. Another study estimated 70% of outdoor smoke can\u00a0re-enter a home<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those who don\u2019t burn wood themselves, yet live in a neighborhood of wood burners, experience indoor particulate levels 50-70% of outdoor levels, according to a\u00a0Seattle study<\/a>, as wood smoke has the tendency to hang close to the ground and infiltrate homes, schools, and hospitals.<\/p>\n

7) EPA Stoves Not Much Better<\/strong><\/p>\n

EPA stoves have improved somewhat upon conventional woodstoves. Instead of emitting 250 times more particulate matter than an oil or gas furnace, EPA stoves now emit\u00a0eighty-five times<\/a>\u00a0more.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Libby, Montana<\/a>\u00a0over $2.5 million financed the replacement of old wood stoves with EPA certified stoves, resulting in only a\u00a028% reduction<\/a>\u00a0in emissions. Measures to further improve wood stove emissions are getting\u00a0major pushback<\/a>\u00a0from the wood heating industry and some politicians.<\/p>\n

8) Doctors Want Ban<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some medical professionals who have been studying the health impacts of wood smoke are concerned about the\u00a0health ramifications<\/a>, while others are calling for a phasing out of wood stoves.\u00a0Dr. Brian Moench<\/a>, president of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, wants to see an end to residential wood burning. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a lot of options,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can accept our air pollution is not solvable, we can stop driving all our cars, we can tell industry to shut down, or we can stop burning wood.\u201d<\/p>\n

American Lung Association<\/a>\u00a0urges that the public \u201cshould avoid burning wood in houses where less polluting heating alternatives are available.\u201d<\/p>\n

9) Taxpayer Subsidized<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trends show more and more Americans burning wood to heat their homes, causing shortages of\u00a0cordwood<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0pellets<\/a>\u00a0in some regions and the resulting price spikes. While an individual may choose not to operate a wood stove, a portion of his or her tax dollars may still subsidize those who do.<\/p>\n

A $300 federal tax credit has been available to those purchasing new wood stoves or pellet stoves, with the policy set to expire in January 1, 2014, though industry groups claim an\u00a0extension<\/a>\u00a0is possible.\u00a0Eight states<\/a>\u00a0provide tax credits, rebates or deductions for wood heating, including Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Montana, and Oregon, with\u00a0New York State<\/a>\u00a0offering a $1,000 tax credit for the purchase of a new pellet stove.<\/p>\n

10) Alternatives to Burning<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are options for those seeking non-combustion technologies to heat their homes. Alternatives include\u00a0ground source heat pumps<\/a>,\u00a0air source heat pumps<\/a>,\u00a0solar thermal<\/a>,\u00a0passive solar<\/a>, and even experimental technologies, such as\u00a0compost heating<\/a>. No matter the heating source, the most basic and important step any homeowner can take to reduce energy demands is through\u00a0insulation<\/a>\u00a0and other\u00a0conservation and efficiency<\/a>\u00a0measures.<\/p>\n

In some areas, you might not have a choice about whether you burn wood or not. Many states, such as\u00a0Arizona<\/a>,\u00a0California<\/a>, and\u00a0Washington<\/a>, enforce burn bans and restrictions, based on changes in air quality.<\/p>\n

Several court cases, including one in\u00a0Nebraska<\/a>, have determined that a neighbor\u2019s wood stove is a nuisance. A recently adopted\u00a0bylaw<\/a>\u00a0in the County of Essex, Ontario, Canada states that one or more complaints in regards to smoke that has a \u201cdetrimental impact on the use and enjoyment\u201d of property, will result in a cease and desist order barring future burning.<\/p>\n

Montreal<\/a>\u00a0has taken things a step further, with plans to phase out wood stoves altogether by 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 1, 2014-by Josh Schlossberg in the Biomass Monitor Wood heating is on the rise. 2.7 million U.S. households, making up roughly 2% of the population, are\u00a0projected\u00a0to burn wood as a primary heating source over the winter of 2014-2015, a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[48,339,336,229,261,334,337,338,333,335],"class_list":["post-3866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-air-pollution","tag-american-lung-association","tag-bioenergy","tag-biomass","tag-cancer","tag-fireplace","tag-lung-disease","tag-respiratory","tag-wood-smoke","tag-wood-stove"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3868,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3866\/revisions\/3868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/valleywatch.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}