Winter Brings Renewed Health Concerns for Residential Wood Burning in Bay Area

This winter, the American Lung Association in California urges the public to avoid wood burning and consider cleaner alternatives for heat. While sitting around a fire may evoke fond memories for some families, the reality is that wood burning is widely recognized as harmful to health. Wood burning is the greatest source of air pollution in the Bay Area during the wintertime.

Wood smoke contains fine particle pollution that can cause coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, heart attacks, and even premature death, among other health outcomes. These particles are so small, they can bypass the airway defenses and enter directly into the lung and bloodstream and can cause damage to cells, and lead to lung disease and heart attacks.

“People with lung disease, including asthma and COPD, are particularly vulnerable to wood smoke along with older adults, those with diabetes, and individuals with cardiovascular disease,” said Ricardo Guzman, MA, RRT, RCP, Bay Area respiratory care practitioner and volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

Children are considered high risk as their lungs are not fully developed until the age of 18 and exposure to higher levels of wood smoke can lead to reduced lung function and risk of future lung disease.

The American Lung Association offers the following tips for Bay Area residents to breathe easier this winter:

• Choose cleaner heating alternatives to warm your home, such as solar panels and electric or geothermal heat pumps.
• Create a cozy environment by using electric fireplaces and logs that flicker without the health risks.

• Explore incentives for cleaner heating options such as the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Clean HEET program. Learn more about the program by visiting http://www.baaqmd.gov/woodsmokegrant. 

• Remember that when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District calls a Spare the Air Alert, wood burning is not allowed in the nine-county Bay Area. To learn more about Spare the Air Alerts, go to www.sparetheair.org.

If you have further questions about lung health, or the health effects of breathing wood smoke, call the American Lung Association’s Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872).