The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is asking residents not to burn wood in their fireplaces or woodstoves over the Christmas holiday to prevent unhealthy air quality in the region.
The agency, which is responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area, says that while air quality is expected to be good to moderate throughout the region, wood burning during the Christmas holiday
could significantly impact localized areas and neighborhoods, as well as affecting indoor air quality.
“We are asking Bay Area residents to forego their fire this Christmas to help keep air pollution low,” said Jack Broadbent, the air district’s executive officer. “Not burning wood indoors or outdoors will help us all enjoy a healthier and happier holiday.”
Air district officials remind residents that like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains fine particles and carcinogenic substances that make the air unhealthy to breathe.
The agency also is reminding people that burning wrapping paper is illegal. Decorative wrapping paper is manufactured using synthetic inks, plastic film, metallic finishes and other chemicals, which release toxic and
carcinogenic compounds into the air when burned.
Bay Area residents can sign on to find out when a Spare the Air alert is in effect is by texting the word START to 817-57 or calling 877-4NO-BURN.
KMA Air Board.
Agreed. Lord Broadbent is out of his lane again. Time to ease him into a job he understands
When the rest of the bay area gives up doing unhealthy things, then maybe I’ll take these alerts serious. Just like climate change (aka climate control), the so-called experts pick their solutions to further their political ambitions. Yes, people, George Orwell was a prophet. 1984 may have come and gone, but it will never go away.
Absolutely! Not climate change……but climate engineering or weather modification. Several residents in Arizona attended their Air quality division (ADEQ), asking what is being done about aluminum particulates and many others in our air…..of course the people in positions claimed ignorance.
Never any word about the Bunker fuel burning ships which pollute more than One Million cars PER DAY or the Airplanes and their toxic cancer causing fuels as the Warnings state on the signs at the airports.
@Anon… All that is nothing compared to the leaf blowers spreading carbon everywhere…. everyone knows that!
Don’t burn wood, big brother is watching
I heard they even made them cancel
the Yule Log on TV.
“Burning wrapping paper is illegal…..”
And just HOW is THAT going to be enforced?
That makes me want to go and buy wrapping paper just to burn it…
Ima burn extra cause they told me not to
No
This is the same Air Board that was recently forced to settle a whistleblower complaint for retaliating against two employees who reported their bosses were destroying files that were supposed to have been kept in storage. Yeah, like I’m going to listen to lowlife, lying and cheating scumbags in government.
a 6lbs beef tender loin goes in for a hot smoke at about 11 in the morning… dinner about 1:30 or 2…
According to transparentcalifornia.com:
Jack Broadbent
Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer (2018)
Regular pay: $303,777.78
Overtime pay: $0.00
Other pay: $67,483.17
Total pay: $371,260.95
Benefits: $72,928.38
Total pay & benefits: $444,189.33
Lord Broadbent makes more then the President of the United States.
The POTUS makes $400k/year and JB makes $371,260.95, so that’s not true. And I realize Trump doesn’t take his salary, but that’s still what it is.
I remember as a teen my father and I spent a lot of time and energy installing a 2nd fireplace in our house so we could have Christmas in the living room,not the family room,because in Colony Park in Concord that’s how they built the houses,but no way my father would not have a fire on x-mas.If someone had said the words”spare the air day” he would have said “twoddle!” or” horse feathers!”,because it is.
Well, i think everyone makes more than the president — didn’t he only take $1 in pay?
Aside from that, they recommend NEVER burning wood for EVERY holiday or Hallmark holiday/— even when it isn’t a spare the air day
I understand the thinking but it’s kinda like asking for people to not drink at all so we don’t have any dui drivers on the road— it’s gonna happen because some people chose to do it regardless
I don’t care much for government control of our lives but I must say I don’t miss smelling smoke from fireplaces. I have had enough smoke from the recent wild fires to satisfy my desire for smoke for some.
Woodsmoke is very bad to breathe. It does not take a genius to understand that.
Woodfire has been used for survival and comfort since the dawn of time,and nobody is going to stop,and alternative heat energies are worse for you,and so is their exhaust,or (oops!)they discover later that they are and the poor sheep are now all sick”.Sorry folks,that caused cancer,we will revise it”
I want to hear of 1 documented proven case of someone contracting and dying of cancer soley due to have woodfires in their fireplace in any setting.Breathing in smoke of any kind is bad to breathe and it doesn’t take a genius to understand that but some people spend $8-10 a day breathing smoke in,intentionally.It’s got a filter though,so they are perfectly safe………….