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Show EPA Tells Stove Advantages, Drawbacks From the time of the caveman, wood burning has been a source of heat. And, although the popularity of wood for home heat has waxed and waned over the years, its currently on the upswing. High heating bills, soaring electric costs, and the lack of efficient and cost effective alternate heat sources have encouraged homeowners to look to wood burning stoves and fireplace inserts as main or supplemental sources of heat. Experts estimate that 1.5 million new fireplaces and wood burning stoves are installed or built in homes annually. This rapid increase in installations in-stallations and use of wood burning units may help ease some Americans' dependence on foreign oil, but in some cities, it's also added fuel to an old problem - air pollution. Just how much wood burning contributes or will contribute to pollution is not definite. Few studies on the quantity and specific nature of residential wood burning emissions have been conducted, although several studies are now in progress. In most cities, air pollution comes from a number of different sources -cars and trucks, industries and power plants. One contributor, that has for the most part been ignored, is residential wood-burning. Individuals and organizations are realizing that the problem is significant. Many believe that carbon monoxide problems can be directly linked to wood burning in certain cities. One scientist put the problem in perspective per-spective when he pointed out that wood-burning stoves emit about ten take to ensure greater and m efficient heat from a fireplaCp re C stove is to insulate wall and attics weatherize windows and doors k a more winterized a house is, the 1 J1 fuel will need to be burned feeSs S emissions "will go up the chimney fewer dollars will be spent on fuel' P A study by Monsanto Corp0rar r indicates that, technically, cornni ' combustion is more likely j p fireplace than a stove, due to high 3 levels of excess air and more unifo ' air distribution. WoodstoVf?" Jl however, tend to provide more i' Jl ficient heat than a fireplace b burning wood at a slower rate Th ;B fewer pollutants are actually emitS l' because less wood is burned to kee i! room warm. Another study s Pa some reduction in emissions bythS use of commercially available add 0 ons for fireplaces such as ou Jf screens, auxiliary air from the m :f side and an underfire blower. Epl studies indicate that emissions c also be reduced by a change in u 51 ning habits and the type and shel re fuel. 01 The first burning habit that needstn be changed, says EPA, is loading tu f fire with large loads so that the fjr smolders rather than burns briskK Smoldering fires give off nl pollutants and provide less heat Thus smaller loads of wood, fed mo frequently, allow the fire to bur, hotter and more efficiently. Such a change in habits may not bep0puarp with a burner who wants to leave j fire unattended for periods of tim( However, once the fire is burning briskly, larger logs can be burned Similarly, at night, fires should not be damped down until the wood has burned to a bed of coals. A second common and eD. vironmentally unsatisfactory habit is trash burning. For years, states have prohibited home incinerators for trash burning. But, with the rising m cost of trash services, some homeowners are simply burnins their times more carbon monoxide on a winter day than a typical car would in a fifty mile trip on the same day and that residential solid fuels such as wood and coal emit between 10 and 1000 times more carbon monoxide and particulates than other residential fuels. Paula U. Macblin, senior technical advisor for the Environmental Protection Agency, said, "From the data we have seen it's easy to conclude con-clude that we should be concerned and proceed cautiously in the use of wood as a fuel. It would be premature, however, to sound an alarm. We can't ignore the potential of wood as an energy source." Part of the concern in the scientific community about wood burning goes beyond the absolute quantity of one particular pollutant. Scientists are looking at the nature of the emissions and finding significant quantities of cancer causing compounds. In fact, one study estimates that 80 percent of the total national concentration (excluding mobile and natural sources) of a particular type of compound, polycyclic organic material, is from wood burning. "The technical community is not alone in its concern about wood smoke," Machlin noted. "I receive calls weekly from citizens in different areas asking whether EPA is aware of or doing anything about " wood burning as an air pollution problem. I think people are noticing the increase in visible air pollutants in their neighborhoods and then wondering what effect they might have on their health and what can be done. Unfortunately, Un-fortunately, I don't have an easy answer right now." The particulates and carbon monoxide from wood smoke are simply the product of incomplete combustion of the wood. Soot and gases that are not able to burn go up the chimney. Unsightly emissions from wood burning stoves and fireplaces are generally of inhalable size and contain toxic and respiratory irritants. Thus, particles not filtered out in the nose and breathed in, and can cause severe health problems. Soot has been known to cause lung and skin cancer, a common ailment of chimney sweeps. And primitive tribes in New Guinea who burn fires in small enclosed huts develop lung diseases earlv in life- Poor air quality is also an acute problem in small mountain towns where inversions can trap air pollutants in valleys, causing poor visibility. Picturesque mountain towns such as Vail, Aspen, and Telluride, Colorado, which depend on tourist trade, recognize the need to clean up the air for health and business. As early as 1976, Telluride passed a city ordinance that limited the number of home burning units to one per building, including multi-family multi-family buildings. Another example of local government govern-ment taking action to clear the air, is Vail, Colorado. After tests by EPA confirmed that home wood burning was a major contributor to Vail's pollution, Vail sponsored a "Fireplace Smokeless Weekend" urging residents not to burn home fires. The three day event was successful suc-cessful in raising awareness, according ac-cording to Vail officials, and there is talk of making it more than an annual event Vail has gone a step further, outlawing the sale and burning of coal within the city limits and limiting the number of units in new buildings. In Missoula, Montana, when the air is poor, homeowners with wood burning stoves or fireplaces are asked not to use them until the air quality improves. The Missoula City-County City-County Health Department conducted winter studies that linked 68 percent of the Missoula Valley's inhalable particulates to wood smoke. The use of restrictions on burning is not a new concept. England banned all home burning of wood and coal in London and other designated areas years ago, and even made it illegal 10 sell stoves in certain areas. When asked if federal controls were needed, EPA's Machlin pointed out "We need to work with state and local air quality agencies to do more analysis of ambient a.r in cities where wood smoke is suspected to be a serious pollutant. We also need to take a close look at how widespread the problem really is. Then we ll know what kinds - and how much -control of wood burning would help, Machlin said. "Right now were working with agencies like the Department of Energy and he Tennessee Valley Authority, and he Canadian government to look at the state of the art in fireplace inserts and stoves. New technology and changing heating habits may be the key." Recent technological advances do provide relief, according to the manufacturer of a catalyst stove. Machlin, however, said, "The design has promise but so far we don't have any information on the test methods or operating conditions on which these claims are based. Because stove emissions and energy benefits are dependent on so many different variables, we feel we need more information in-formation about the catalyst stove before we reach any conclusions about how clean or energy-efficient it would be in most homes. We're especially concerned about the length of time the catalyst will work efficiently. ef-ficiently. But, I'm excited to see industry in-dustry take the initiative. And I hope we'll be able to work closely with them." Conscientious home wood-burners can take care of the pollution problems without local government intervention. The most basic step is to buy the proper size stove. A stove that's too large will have to be damped down to keep the room from overheating, causing the fire to smolder and, therefore, increase emissions. Another measure homeowners can wastes in their fireplaces and stoves The results are the same - controllable emissions. Plastics should not be burned and paper burning should be restricted. Plastics emit toxic and corrosive pollutants and provide little heat. Some materials also "coat" chimneys raising the danger of chimney fires Others may damage the stove itself Another fact to consider in burning is the type of fuel. Coal burning generally produces more emission; than wood, and different types ol wood vary in the amount of emissions they give while burning. Studies have indicated that moderate moisture it wood is far better than kiln-dry wood or green wood and that fuel such as charcoal, although expensive burns cleaner. And, finally, for safety reasons anc maximum efficiency, a clean chimney is essential. For many, the "atmosphere provided by. a fire is as important as the heat it provides. Home (ire burning will be with us for a Ions time. But, winter doesn't have It mean going for an evening walk an: coming home and smelling like ; smokehouse, and it doesn't mean thi the picturesque scenes above mountain towns have to disappes: from view until summer. Government needn't be the only one to make a move. Continue: technological improvements ar: conscious efforts from wood and coa burners to control emissions and f the most heat from fuel are essentii And industry can build better stove; especially when challenged by cot sumers to daso. |