Air District Debates Wood Fires Restrictions
Source: San Jose Mercury News, 11/06/2007
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is proposing to ban wood fires on “Spare the Air” nights and prohibit the installation of new open hearth fireplaces in homes and buildings.
The proposed ban would implement a small fine or ticket to anyone in the Bay Area who burned wood on chilly, “Spare the Air” nights. Fines would be distributed based largely on public complaint.
The proposed ban has gained wide attention in the Bay Area as the threat of wood smoke has increased in years. The tiny smoke particles from burning wood can pass through the nose and throat and lodge deep in human lungs. This can cause serious health effects like aggravated asthma symptoms, emphysema and even lead to premature death in the elderly.
The considered rule would also ban the installation of new open hearth fireplaces, which lack emission control, to limit wood burning in the future. Along with the wood burning rules, the district considers to require the sale of low-moisture firewood and prohibit the burning of garbage.
District administrators have been holding public workshops to decide if the draft should be revised before passing it on to the district air board. No date has been set for the rule to take effect.
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