Wood stove roundup: helping to clear wintertime smoke

Volunteers help to unload wood stoves brought in for recycling

It may be hot outside, but that didn't deter folks in Okanogan County from taking advantage of a cashback incentive to recycle old, smoky wood stoves earlier this month. At $250 per stove, limited to two stoves per customer, each person could claim up to $500!

Reducing wintertime air pollution is a priority in the county, where poor ventilation traps wood smoke in mountain valleys, often for days on end.

Our Air Quality Program in Central Washington teamed with Okanogan County, the Methow Valley Clean Air Project and the Okanogan River Airshed Partnership, to sponsor the collection event at the Twisp Transfer Station and the county's Central Landfill, June 5-6.

The results: A total of 74 participants turned in 105 stoves, leading to a payout of $26,250! Translating to a potential reduction of over 2 tons of PM 2.5 emissions, the small particles in smoke that when inhaled lodge in our lungs and can cause respiratory damage.

Participants will receive payment by check in a few weeks, and also got some cool outreach goodies at the events. Additionally, all the stoves turned in will be recycled! Funding was made available through the Woodsmoke Reduction Grant Program to improve air quality in our state's most vulnerable regions.

Stoves of all shapes and sizes

Recent data shows Okanogan County residents are exposed to more smoke, due to wildfires and wood stoves, than people in any other county in the state. While we can't do much about wildfire smoke, it makes sense to reduce other sources of smoke and provide an incentive for cleaner burning alternatives, such as new stoves or switching to gas or electric heat.

Waiting for the crusher and to be recycled

Although this round of buybacks is over, everyone can make a difference. If you own a wood stove, burn only dry, seasoned wood, and consider replacing your older stove with a newer, more efficient model. 

Homeowners can help reduce smoke emissions by composting and chipping instead of burning yard waste (which is illegal in urban growth areas throughout the state).

Please check out our community partner’s pages. They helped by volunteering at this buyback, and are also working with us to sponsor future events and other programs. Use the links below to learn more about their mission and ways you can help keep the air clean!

Also, local clean air agencies may sponsor similar events.

Methow Valley Clean Air Project Facebook

Okanogan River Airshed Partnership (website under development)

Omak Community Clean-up 
Partnership Promoting Clean Air

More wood stove information

Data by county on emissions

Kimi Matsushima checks in a stove to be recycled - from the trunk of  a car!

By Kimi Matsushima, Air Quality Specialist

Getting the most out of your firewood

Summer is over and the chilly nights are upon us. You may be getting ready to fire up your wood stove or fireplace as you settle in for the winter. Before you do, however, take a moment to learn about temperature inversions, air quality burn bans, and how to get the most out of your fire while protecting your health.

Poor air quality can result in a burn ban

During the winter, a weather pattern called an inversion can trap stagnant air and unhealthy wood smoke close to the ground. 

If air quality reaches unhealthy levels, an air quality burn ban may be called by your local clean air agency, Ecology, or tribes. Check for an air quality burn ban in your area at ecology.wa.gov/burnbans or waburnbans.net. 


Air quality burn bans have two stages:

• Stage 1 burn ban
• No use of uncertified wood stoves or fireplaces is allowed.
• No outdoor burning, agricultural, or forest burning is allowed.
• Stage 2 burn ban
• No burning indoors or outdoors is allowed.

Air quality burn bans do not apply if wood is your only source of heat. 

Only burn dry, seasoned wood

Dry, seasoned wood provides up to 44 percent more heat than fresh cut or wet wood. Not only does that save you money, it creates less smoke and air pollution. Follow these tips to get the most out of your fire:

• Split your wood as soon as you get it.
• Stack your wood so it has airflow.
• Season your wood for at least 6 months.
• Cover your wood to keep it out of rain and snow.

A good burning fire should have minimal smoke coming out of the chimney and should be easy to see through. Filling your stove up with wood doesn’t make a fire hotter - by overfilling your stove, you rob the fire of oxygen, thereby producing less heat, wasting wood, and creating more unhealthy smoke.

Use the right wood stove for your home

Ecology regulates the types of wood burning devices that can be sold, resold, exchanged, or given away. These devices must meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Washington’s stricter certification standards. Use a stove that is certified in Washington, the right size for your home, and properly installed. Never install, sell, or even give away a non-certified wood stove.

If your stove isn’t certified, you should replace it, or consider switching to a natural gas or electric device. Check with your local clean air agency for grant programs to help offset the costs of replacing a wood stove with a certified model, or switching your heat source altogether. 

Health effects from wood smoke

Wood smoke is one of the main sources of air pollution in Washington and can cause health problems for everyone. Wood stoves, fireplaces, and other wood burning devices put out hundreds of times more air pollution than other sources of heat, such as natural gas or electricity. The smoke and soot from burning wood contains fine particles and harmful gases, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and organic compounds. The particles are so small that they lodge deep in your lungs when inhaled and can cause serious health problems, including:

• Burning eyes
• Runny nose
• Coughing
• Respiratory infections
• Asthma attacks
• Bronchitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer
• Irregular heart beat
• Heart attacks and cardiovascular disease
• Stroke
  

Kids, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with existing lung or heart diseases are the most sensitive to air pollution. Households that burn wood for heat are at greater risk for respiratory illnesses. Learn more about how wood smoke harms your health.

Now that you are prepared, go ahead and make some hot chocolate, break out your fuzzy slippers and have a movie marathon night in front of your nice, safe, warm fire.

By Kim Vaughn / Air Quality

Don't let ground-level ozone ruin your summer fun

Summer is definitely here. It’s hot, it’s sunny, it’s the time of year you want to be outside. With all that fun in the sun, though, can come a form of air pollution we’re definitely not excited about: ground-level ozone. 

Ecology keeps a close eye on ground-level ozone levels around Washington and issues advisories when levels rise to a point that could affect people’s health. Let’s talk about what ground-level ozone is, what it can do to your health, how you can help prevent it, and how to find out when levels are unhealthy.

Why should I care about ground-level ozone?

First, let’s distinguish the difference in ozone and ground-level ozone.

• “Good” ozone forms naturally one to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface. This ozone layer protects life from the sun’s harmful rays.
• “Bad” ozone forms at ground-level. It is the main ingredient of smog and can cause a plethora of health problems.

Today, we are going to talk about how ground-level ozone forms, the health problems it causes, and what to do about it.

How it forms

Ground-level ozone is a gas created by a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight. Vehicle and industrial emissions, gasoline vapors, chemical solvents, and natural sources emit NOx and VOCs that help form ground-level ozone. 

Obviously, urban areas will see higher amounts of ground-level ozone because they tend to have more air pollutants. But rural areas may not be spared from the health effects of it. Ground-level ozone takes time to form, and while it’s forming the wind can carry it far away. So, even if you live in the country, you can still be exposed to ground-level ozone.

What it can do to your health

Unhealthy amounts of ground-level ozone can affect everyone, but people with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are physically active are especially sensitive. Ground-level ozone can:

• Irritate your throat.
• Cause coughing, wheezing, and painful breathing.
• Inflame and permanently damage lung tissue.
• Aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
• Increase the likelihood of pneumonia and bronchitis.

To protect your health, do less strenuous activities outdoors or stay inside until it cools down. If you experience serious symptoms, see your doctor.

How you can help reduce ground-level ozone

On hot days when ground-level ozone is expected to reach unhealthy levels, take these extra steps to help reduce air pollution:

• Drive less. Combine errands or use public transportation.
• Switch to a zero emissions vehicle, walk, or ride a bike.
• Postpone travel until the weather cools when possible.
• Don’t use lawnmowers or other small engines during heat spells.
• Follow burn bans.
• Don’t barbecue or use your fire pit while it’s hot out.
• Don’t let your engine idle.
• Refuel your vehicle in the early mornings.
• Don’t paint or use aerosol sprays until temperatures cool off.

When it gets hot outside, keep an eye on Ecology’s Facebook page or Twitter account for air quality advisories or check Washington’s Air Quality Monitoring Network. 

To learn more about ground-level ozone and other air quality topics, visit Ecology’s website.
 
By Kim Vaughn / Air Quality

It's wildfire season — know how to protect your health and the environment

Remember last summer when it seemed like the air would never clear up? This summer, be prepared if smoke from wildfires affects your community. Wildfire smoke is made up of gases and particulate matter that can be dangerous when inhaled. Carbon monoxide is risky to people who live and work near smoldering areas. 

Recent warm and dry weather melted last winter's snowpack faster than normal. Even though we had a healthy amount of snow, rapid melting means there is less water to supply our rivers and streams. Below normal streamflows are expected this summer and wildfire risk is high.

Burn bans

Where you live determines who calls burn bans. When wildfire danger is high, the Department of Natural Resources will declare a fire-safety burn ban on state lands. Local fire districts will restrict burning in city limits and unincorporated areas, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will call burn bans on tribal lands.

If you see someone burning illegally, or if you are being impacted by smoke, report it!

Be “air aware” and have an emergency plan

Check the Washington Air Quality Advisory (WAQA) and Washington Smoke Information web pages to stay informed about air quality and smoke events. The WAQA uses color-coded categories to show when air quality is good, moderate, or unhealthy. In the event your community is affected by a wildfire, have an emergency plan ready, watch for alerts, and follow evacuation orders.

 

How to tell if smoke is affecting you

Even if you are healthy smoke can affect you by causing:

• Watery or dry eyes.
• Lung and sinus irritation.
• Coughing, phlegm.
• Shortness of breath and wheezing.
• Headaches.
• Irregular heartbeat, chest pain, or fatigue.
• Nonfatal and fatal heart attacks.

 

Some people are more sensitive to smoke

Symptoms may be worse for people with pre-existing health conditions. If you are in one of the groups below seek medical attention if your condition worsens.

• People with lung diseases and respiratory infections.
• People with existing heart or circulatory problems.
• People with a prior history of heart attack or stroke.
• People with diabetes.
• Infants and children under 18.
• Adults over age 65.
• Pregnant women.
• People who smoke.

 

Protect yourself and your animals from smoke

If you are indoors:

• Don’t smoke cigarettes, use candles, wood stoves, or vacuums, and don’t burn incense.
• Keep windows and doors closed. Blow a fan directly on you to keep cool.
• Use a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to reduce indoor air pollution.
• Set your air conditioner to recirculate.

If you are outdoors:

• If you are in a sensitive group, reconsider any outdoor activities.
• If you must be outdoors, use an N95 respirator mask. These masks filter 95 percent of smoke particles, but they do not protect from toxic gases. Wet towels and bandanas do not provide protection from particulate matter. Respirator masks can’t protect if they don’t fit, so children and men with beards may not benefit from a mask. If you are in a sensitive group, check with your doctor before using a mask.
• Protect your eyes by wearing goggles.
• Don’t mow your yard, fill up your gas tank, or do any strenuous activity until the air is clear.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Keep car windows rolled up and set your AC to recirculate.
• When possible, leave the area.
  

If you raise animals:

• Reduce their time spent in smoky areas.
• Provide them with plenty of water.
• Limit activities that will increase their breathing.
• If your pet or livestock is coughing or having difficulty breathing, contact your veterinarian.

 

Get relief from symptoms

If you are in one of the sensitive groups, contact your health care provider if your symptoms worsen. Most healthy people can get relief by:

• Using artificial tear drops for itchy eyes.
• Drinking plenty of water and running a humidifier for a scratchy throat.
• Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever for headaches. 

What you can do

There are many ways you can help prevent wildfires. Seventy-five percent of wildfires are caused by humans.

• Put campfires out completely.
• Follow burn bans. 
• Don't burn yard waste on windy days.
• Don't throw cigarette butts out your window. 
• Keep the perimeter around your property clear.

By Kim Vaughn / Air Quality Communications

Wanted: Old, polluting wood stoves

While gathering around a fire has been a traditional means of keeping warm in the winter months for thousands of years, it’s a problem for many of our communities today. 

Wood smoke is one of the main sources of air pollution in Washington and our communities often suffer with poor air quality because of it. One of the ways Ecology is working to improve air quality is through wood stove buy-back programs. 

Smoke pollution still a problem despite improved technology

Newer wood stove technology has greatly improved and exceeded older wood stoves in efficiency and smoke reduction. For example, an old, uncertified wood stove produces about 252 pounds per year of smoke while a certified wood stove produces about 50 pounds per year. Comparatively, pellet, gas, or electric home heating makes much less smoke if any at all.

Even with improved technology standards since 1995, wood smoke is one of the main sources of air pollution in Washington. In winter, more than half of our fine particle pollution comes from wood burning devices for home heating. These tiny particles are small enough to make it past our natural defenses and lodge deep in the lung tissue where they have long lasting effects on respiratory and cardiovascular functions. As you might imagine, these pollution particles are in greatest concentration where the smoke is produced, our residential neighborhoods. 

Say “Hello” to wood stove buy-back events!

In order to improve air quality, Ecology developed incentive programs to reduce the number of uncertified wood stoves. Residents can upgrade their home heating device to a less polluting option. Old, uncertified stoves can be turned in for a cash reward, about $200.

Wood stove buy-back events are usually held in communities which have had a few seasons of elevated levels of fine particle pollution (particulate matter, PM 2.5) and received funding from the Washington Legislature. When funding is available, Ecology partners with local communities to work out event details, like location, advertising, and metal recycling.

On the day of the event, wood stoves are inspected to ensure they meet minimum standards as set in the advertising. The wood stoves must have been removed from a residence in the designated community or county of the event.

From 2012-2017, eight events resulted in 748 old wood stoves turned in by Eastern Washington residents. Those old wood stoves were destroyed and the metal recycled, removing future smoke from that stove, permanently. That translates to about three tons of wood smoke prevention per event. Eleven tons total so far! 

These programs have been well received by participants. Positive feedback has come from the public in comments such as:

“This will help with the smoke in the winter.” 

“This is awesome I hate my woodstove.”

Funding for buy-back programs

On Jan. 19, 2018, Gov. Jay Inslee signed the 2018 Supplemental Capital Budget which included $2 million in funding to Ecology to provide wood stove grants and programs.  Ecology expects to begin soliciting proposals in the late spring of 2018.

By Camille Bennett | Air Quality