This presentation is brought to you by the CANADIAN CLEAN AIR ALLIANCE and will provide you with the facts and the tru

1. This presentation is brought to you by the CANADIAN CLEAN AIR ALLIANCE and will provide you with the facts and the truth about RESIDENTIAL WOOD SMOKE

2. Wood smoke is a grave health hazard and major contributor to global warming, but the facts and truth are not understood by most people in Canada. • Residential Wood Smoke (RWS) is the new second hand smoke! It is a silent killer, it makes people sick and it takes their breath away. Wood smoke is also a major contributor to the destruction of our planet. Not because it is invisible or has no smell but because Governments and bylaw enforcement choose to ignore this deadly and preventable form of Air Pollution. • Why is it still 'legal' in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada to poison your neighbour daily with wood smoke and cause major destruction to our planet?

3. At current levels, fine particulates (PM2.25) are now considered the worst kind of air pollution in BC. They cause more illness and deaths than ozone, sulphur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. Wood smoke is more hazardous than any other outdoor air pollutant. • Worldwide estimate of premature deaths due to wood smoke is 2.7 to 3 million, with respiratory illness being the largest killer of infants. • Health and Environment in Sustainable Development, World Health Organization, 1997, p.242.

4. The Health Hazards of Wood Smoke Like cigarette smoke, wood smoke contains hundreds of dangerous air pollutants, gases and fine particulates that can cause: -lung and other cancers. -other serious health problems such as: blood clots, heart attacks, and strokes. -lung disease like asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, and bronchitis; -irritation of the lungs, throat, sinuses and eyes; -headaches; -allergenic reactions; -increased hospital admissions and even premature death. The particles in wood smoke are too small to be filtered by the nose and upper respiratory system, so they wind up deep in the lungs and act as vectors for bacteria, toxins and virus. Wood smoke is a preventable burden to our health care system. These health effects have a human, social and financial impact, costing Canadians several billion dollars per year. The BC Lung Association says Lung Cancer is a leading cancer killer in both men and women.

5. Who is at risk from wood smoke? -senior citizens -infants -pregnant women -people with compromised immune systems -children -and it can directly impact the health of otherwise healthy adults. Sounds like all of us!

7. Where is our protection? Despite efforts to tighten windows, close doors, and insulate a home, there is no defense from the toxic emissions from residential wood smoke. The fine particles from a neighbour's chimney penetrate through the barrier of all surrounding walls of residences, entering the lungs of its residents making them sick and killing some.

8. “The largest single source of outdoor fine particles (PM2.5) entering into our homes in many cities is our neighbor's fireplace or wood stove. Despite the ineffectiveness of a fireplace in heating a home, only a few hours of wood burning in a single home at night can raise fine particle concentrations in dozens of surrounding homes throughout the neighborhood and cause PAH concentrations higher than 2,000 ng/m3.” ( Dr. Wayne Ott, Statistics, Stanford University, 2/1/98) Studies show that people who heat their homes with wood have more respiratory problems than those who don’t. Research also shows that children in wood burning neighborhoods are more likely to have lung and breathing problems. (From Focus on Wood Smoke Pollution - Washington State Department of Ecology)

9. According to Environment Canada, conventional wood stove emits as much fine-particle pollution in nine hours as a midsize car in an entire year.  The article entitled, “Court finds Wood Smoke Hazardous to Health”,  which is contained in “UPdate, Fall 2008, Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia”, advises that:  “McMaster University chemist Brian McCarry, warns that the toxic content of smoke from fireplaces and old-fashioned wood stoves is similar to that of diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke.” " The chemical composition of wood smoke, especially from low-temperature fires, is really nasty," notes McCarry ........ “Because it is considered natural, it is considered benign, but it's really a very dirty energy source. “

13. If we have made it illegal to leave our cars idling for a few minutes, how can it then be okay to have a wood burning stove or fireplace going 24/7 or even for a few hours, emitting toxins and carcinogens while our kids play outside in the "fresh" air or while we sit in our homes with a window open letting in "fresh" air? 

14. EPA Certified Wood Stoves • Why would anyone promote the EPA Certified Stoves when there is overwhelming evidence that they deteriorate the more they are used, that the toxic emissions are much higher than when first certified and the fact that they produce 2-3 times higher DIOXINS and FURANS than the old stoves they are replacing? • EPA Certified 'phase II' wood stoves are 175% dirtier than what they were certified to be. Dioxins and Furans A Canadian study that compared the releases from a conventional wood stove and a certified wood stove for a number of pollutants with a focus on dioxins and furans found releases of dioxins and furans from the certified wood stove were 2-3 times higher than those from the old conventional stove that they are replacing. Dioxins have been identified as a priority for reduction through the Canada-wide Standards (CWS) process. Why would anyone encourage the use of anything that emits more of these harmful dioxins and furans into the air we breathe and that land on the soil we farm? The primary way people are exposed to dioxins and furans is through eating meat and dairy products. The animals we eat are exposed to background levels of dioxins and furans in the soil, on vegetation and in some commercial animal feeds. (the air borne dioxins and furans land on the soil all around us) I remember when we all thought light cigarettes were better for us!

15. Emissions Graph Fireplaces and woodstoves, and even special equipment such as wood pellet appliances and EPA  Phase II Certified woodstoves, produce much more particulate matter than well-tuned oil or gas devices producing equivalent heat.  According to Health Canada, breathing wood smoke in any quantity is not healthy for anyone. The most effective thing you can do to reduce the risk of health effects from wood smoke is to switch to a different heat source, such as natural gas or oil.

16. In 2009, Montreal’s bylaw states that any new installation of a stove or fireplace permitting the use of solid combustion is prohibited, however you are allowed to use a pellet stove that is certified EPA. The installation of new stoves also includes the replacement of old stoves (and fireplaces). In 2008, Hampstead, Quebec passed bylaw No. 729-2, stating “no person shall install a wood burning appliance, in which wood or solid fuel is burned and which discharges combustion products into the air, in or about any residential property.” The bylaw defines “wood burning appliance” as “a fireplace insert, wood stove, central furnace or similar device, including a pellet stove and any outdoor solid fuel combustion appliance.” What do Montreal’s and Hampstead’s Politicians know that our Provincial Government and Metro Vancouver’s don’t know or choose not to acknowledge? Golden, BC Council also passed a Bylaw to prohibit the installation of any solid fuel-burning appliance in Golden (see Golden’s Bylaw No. 1150). This was a tough decision for council to make because Golden has limited fuel choices, i.e. electric, propane and wood; but, Council was determined to make Golden a healthy, vibrant community.

17. Most people won’t or don’t report Residential Wood Smoke and Odour. From a Burnaby BC resident • Our neighbour heats his house entirely with a wood furnace, and he has a detached shed which he heats with a wood stove. We have had to live with this for 14 years, and only now have become aware that this smoke smell is not just a nuisance, but is poisonous pollution. We are loath to cause a problem for a neighbour, so we would like to remain anonymous. 1.) Because they don't want to create bad feelings with their neighbours. They would rather suffer than confront a neighbour. 2.) They do not know that wood smoke is a grave health hazard and major contributor to global warming so they just accept it as a nuisance and suffer in silence. 3.) They are frightened that they won't be able to sell their house and or will lose money when they go to sell it if a complaint is on file. Wood smoke from a neighbour is considered a latent defect and therefore you are obligated by Real Estate Council Rule 5-13 to disclose all material latent defects concerning the property for sale.

18. WOOD SMOKE IS THE NEW SECOND HAND SMOKE! "For those on the receiving end of a neighbor's fireplace or wood stove, it is often similar to living with a chain smoker." Wayne R. Ott, Ph.D. Wood smoke is more than a nuisance, wood smoke is chemically active in the body 40 times longer than cigarette smoke. (Lachocki, Pryor, et al, Persistent Free Radicals in Wood smoke, Louisiana State University, Free Radical Biology & Medicine Vol.12, 1992)  The EPA estimates that the lifetime cancer risk from wood stove smoke is twelve times greater than that from an equal volume of second hand tobacco smoke. (The Health Effects of Wood Smoke, Washington State Department of Ecology); One hour of exposure to wood smoke lowers your ability to fight off infection by 25 to 40%. Second hand smoke from residential wood burning is worse than second hand smoke from cigarettes, yet there are no commercials or ads informing the public about this Grave Health Hazard and Major Contributor to Global Warming. Why not?

19. WOOD SMOKE (BLACK CARBON, SOOT) AND CLIMATE CHANGESoot, the familiar black residue that coats fireplaces and darkens truck exhaust, is the second biggest contributor to global warming - just behind the infamous greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2). Human beings produce most of the soot particles in the atmosphere by using energy sources such as coal, wood and diesel. Besides its impact on global warming, soot is also a grave health hazard.``Reduction of burning wood, therefore, will not only mitigate global warming but also will save lives. Elimination of black carbon, a contributor to global warming and a public health hazard, offers a nearly instant return on investment. Black carbon particles only remain airborne for weeks at most, compared to carbon dioxide, which remains in the atmosphere for more than a century.”Rapid reduction of black carbon emissions is a key component of an effective Canadian response strategy to slow global and Arctic warming and avert potentially catastrophic results. It will also provide immediate health benefits. We are very concerned about the impacts of black carbon on the Canadian Arctic, and on the health of all Canadians. The impacts of soot are particularly hard hitting in Canada's Arctic. Recent studies show that they may account for half of Arctic warming. Air currents can carry soot thousands of miles from where it is produced. As a result, soot produced from diesel engines, marine vessels and wood burning in southern Canada, the United States and elsewhere end up in Canada's Far North. Decisive action to reduce these emissions can have immediate positive impacts for our health and environment because its effects are short lived (soot stays in the atmosphere for only days or weeks).

21. Why is it still ‘Legal’ in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada for your neighbour to poison you with wood smoke?

24. CONCLUSION Why aren’t Canadian Politicians getting “ahead of” and "leading" public opinion and public policy by protecting our Arctic environment and the health and way of life of Canadians. The technologies exist to substantially reduce soot emissions in Canada. Now is the time to take action! I urge you to undertake regulatory and policy initiatives and put bans and bylaws in place plus incentives to use the new technologies of today that are available to reduce soot emissions. This would have an immediate impact on our health and the destruction of our planet. Decisive action must be taken now! Thank you. If you have any questions or comments please contact: Vicki Morell 604-322-6744 vmorell@telus.net http.//www.canadiancleanairalliance.ca