The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is asking the region’s residents not to burn wood in their fireplaces or woodstoves over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to prevent air quality impacts in inland valleys and neighborhoods.
The agency, which is responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area, said that while air quality is expected to be good to moderate throughout the region, wood burning during the holiday can significantly impact local areas and neighborhoods.
The district also said wood burning can significantly impact indoor air quality.
“We are asking residents in the Bay Area to help keep air pollution low this Thanksgiving by not burning wood indoors or outdoors,” Jack Broadbent, the district’s executive officer, said in a statement.
Broadbent said, “If Bay Area residents forego their fire this Thanksgiving, it will help all of us enjoy a healthier, happier holiday weekend.”
District officials said a Spare the Air Alert is not in effect and wood burning isn’t illegal, but it is being discouraged.
Agency officials said wood smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains fine particles and carcinogenic substances that make the air unhealthy to breathe.
They said wood smoke is the major source of air pollution in the Bay Area in the wintertime and is especially harmful to children, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions.
image: courtesy of firewood.ca.gov
Hilarious that people call the Fire dept for a “fire” in their house when they forgot to open the flue causing house to fill up with smoke.
ok, i won’t burn anymore wood this weekend. Oh, and the Brisket turned out GREAT!
This warning defied logic since it’s supposed to rain this weekend. The rain would keep all this “… fine particles and carcinogenic substances …” from wood smoke from accumulating in the air. The ” … air quality impacts …” are washed back to earth immediately when the smoke leaves the chimney. Particles may end up on the roof, washed into the gutters, and leave in the downspouts, but they won’t be polluting the inland valley air.
>>… are washed back to earth immediately when the smoke leaves the chimney.
Don’t think so. We can smell smoke from our neighbors’ chimneys even when it’s raining.
What is your neighbor burning? Pellets? Coal? Wood? It might be Interesting to know why you can smell it when it’s raining, because it is being washed out of the air and doesn’t just hang there in the air like it does when it’s clear. If it is pellets, you might be smelling an accelerant that is added to enhance burning. I have a fireplace insert and once the fire is started the damper and drafts are closed up, so there is no smoke.
He’s burning wood. You can see smoke in the air and smell it inside our house even when raining.
If you do some research, you’ll find that rain has less effect on small particles (a few microns or less) than large particles. Smoke is primarily small particles.
That’s very unusual. Unless he’s burning lots of paper with it. Usually after you get a fire going it barely smokes. Of course, it depends on what kind of wood you are burning. I know my neighbor had a pellet stove. I could smell it in the house and it wasn’t pleasant.
Pound sand BAAQMD.
They wait all year to screw up the holiday season. Grinches.
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
What a loser!
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!
Ok Jack…..whatever you say!
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
What a dumb name! Broadbent?
Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
BAAQMD Regulation 6, Rule 3 in case your buttinski neighbors need educating. I printed off several copies and included the website. I had one neighbor that complained once and later actually hit me up for some tri-tip. I told him that “I’m sorry, but you’re and A$$…”
My guess is that Broadbent doesn’t go camping.
Considering how popular he is, he’s probably afraid to leave the house.