Pollution and Wood Burning Fireplaces

It was another Spare the air night in the San Francisco area, where it is illegal to burn wood, pellets, or manufactured fire logs. The Spare the Air winter season runs from November 1, 2009, through February 28, 2010.

An article showing how bad wood smoke pollutes during bad air days in the San Francisco Bay Area was surprising. Pretty shocking that 1/3 of fine particulate matter is from wood smoke.

According to Sparetheair.org, “In the wintertime, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) becomes the pollutant with the greatest impact on air quality. Fine particulates can bypass the body’s natural defenses, penetrating deeply into the lungs and even passing into the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure to the fine particulates in wood smoke has been linked with aggravated asthma, lung and heart disease, and increased mortality rates.”

Wood burning fireplaces emit many times more pollutions than EPA-certified woodstoves or Pellet stoves.

If it is time to upgrade for the upcoming winter season, keep these figures in mind. You can be green and buy a more efficient stove or fireplace. Take advantage of the Federal Tax Rebate too.

EPA has information on Cleaner Burning Wood Stoves.

Related posts:

1. Federal Tax Credit – Wood Heat Stoves, Pellet Stoves, Fireplace Inserts
2. Eco Friendly Zero VOC Wood Stains
3. Eco Friendly FSC Certified Wood
4. New Gemini Eco Friendly San Francisco Ferry
5. Alternative Heating Sources

Posted on December 11th, 2009
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