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

Clean Air Month - part 2

Ways to protect the air

Today, we’re continuing our blog conversations that celebrate Clean Air – and sharing practical ways we all can do our part to protect and improve the air we breathe. Last time, we looked at just what is part of the Clean Air Act. In this blog, we'll consider how wood burning, household chemicals and buying products made locally impact air quality.

Buy local
The less time products spend on a ship, train, or semi-truck the less air pollution is created.

 

Consider ways to reduce, reuse, recycle, and reconsider where your items originate from. Buying local also supports small businesses and creates jobs. We all win when you buy local!

Use an adequate wood burning device
During winter we often have stagnant air that traps smoke near the ground. Heating your home with a wood burning device can increase your family’s health risk consisting of lung and breathing problems. Wood burning devices include:

• Wood and pellet stoves.
• Wood furnaces.
• Manufactured fireplaces.
• Masonry heaters.

Only certified wood burning devices are legal to purchase, sell, or give away in this state, whether new or used. They must meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington standards. If it doesn’t, check with your local air authority for grant programs to help replace your old stove, or better yet, switch to electric heat! Many electric companies offer grants to help convert your house to electric heat.

Burn wood the right way
You should only burn dry wood that has been split, stacked, and stored for at least a year. Dry wood emits less smoke and makes a hotter fire. You should be able to easily see through the smoke coming from your chimney. If you buy wood, ask if it has been properly seasoned. Properly dried and aged wood burns more efficient and saves you money! 

Only burn vegetation
Never burn anything other than vegetation. Check for burn bans before you start a fire and keep something nearby to extinguish it. For campfires, be sure to put them out completely and never leave them unattended. Everybody loves a good fire, but the smoke shouldn’t annoy your neighbor.

Burn barrels, construction debris, garbage, and scraps from another property are illegal to burn everywhere in Washington.

Reconsider burning altogether
There are many alternatives to burning yard waste. When mowing, leave grass clippings where they land. They provide nutrients for your lawn. Start making your own garden compost, or check with your community for free yard waste drop off days. The less you burn, the cleaner the air.

Dispose chemicals responsibly
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contribute to ground-level ozone formation because they evaporate into the air. Check with your local landfill or visit Ecology’s website to find a proper disposal facility. 

Some common VOCs to look out for are:

• Acetone (nail polish remover, furniture polish, wallpaper).
• Benzene (glue, paint, carpet, gasoline emissions).
• Butanal (barbeque emissions, burning candles, stoves, cigarettes).
• Carbon disulfide (chlorinated tap water).
• Dichlorobenzene (mothballs, deodorizers). 
• Ethanol (glass cleaners, dishwasher and laundry detergents).
• Formaldehyde (floor lacquers, some molded plastics).
• Terpene (fragrances such as soap and detergents).
• Toluene (paint).
• Xylene (traffic emissions, idling cars).

In our next blog we’ll address how all these activities influence climate change and how clean energy industries and our vehicle choices have an impact on clean air.

By Kim Vaughn | Air Quality

Dust Wars

Somewhere, in a galaxy far, far away, there might be people who thrive in the midst of dust. That's not us. Dust storms here on earth can be dangerously unhealthy. Dust storms don’t just happen in the middle of Tattoine or in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl. In our state, dust is more of an issue in Eastern Washington, but can be a problem anywhere given the right (or wrong) conditions.

Sand People, Star Wars: A New Hope.

While agricultural lands and activities have been the primary source for dust storms in Washington, we’re seeing fewer per year, thanks to better farming practices.

Dust storms have become less common in Washington since the mid-1990s when farmers started using more soil erosion prevention techniques. Those farming techniques have made a difference: In the early ’90s, Kennewick had as many as seven dust storms in just one year! Compare that to the past six years, when the area only had seven dust storms in total. That means cleaner air and healthier people.

Judge by size, do you?

Strong winds and dry conditions cause large amounts of soil to be blown into the air. When that happens, it’s hard to see, making driving dangerous. Plus, all of those large and small particles sting your eyes and sandblast your body. The tiny particles — known as PM10 and PM2.5 — can get deep in your lungs, causing irritation and worsening existing asthma, allergies, and heart disease. 

Dust storm in Eastern Washington, August 2005.

Keep dirt on the ground

Ecology and our clean air partners monitor the air for dust and other pollutants. In areas where windblown dust is a problem, we work with U.S. Department of Agriculture program partners to minimize soil erosion. We’re piloting a grant project in Benton, Franklin, and Klickitat counties where dust blown from farm land causes Kennewick’s air quality to be unhealthy.

The focus will be on farms in the Conservation Reserve Program — a land conservation program that pays farmers to take land out of production and maintain plants that anchor soil. As these conservation contracts expire this fall and land goes back into use for farming, the grants will support farmers’ use of farming methods that keep dirt on the ground and out of the air.

Be prepared

When there's a dust storm, pull over if you're driving and stay in your car. Don’t exercise outside. Cover your nose and mouth. Get inside if you can and close windows, doors, and vents. Sign up for Dust Storm Alerts from the National Weather Service to find out when high winds are forecast.

Raise a lightsaber

Dust may not sound as dangerous as other types of air pollution, but it can be just as harmful. The best way to prevent dust is to continue encouraging farmers’ efforts to find new ways and use tested methods to prevent soil erosion. Ecology and our clean air partners have made a lot of progress over the past few decades. We’re committed to protecting your health.

By Miriam Duerr | Air Quality