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[Phys-l] Burning wood... was Glaze Ice



The primary problem with burning wood for household heating (or just burning the wood from storm-downed trees and branches) is the particulate matter. Of course the CO2 and organics from incomplete combustion also are not so good, but for health it is the PM that's bad. (And the PM also carries some of the organics deep into the lungs where they lodge.)

Particulate matter is one of the original 7 named pollutants established by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The 7 are SO2, CO, O3, NOx, Pb, PM10 and PM2.5

PM10 means particulate matter less than 10 microns, and PM2.5 means particulate matter less than 2.5 microns. Ever since NAAQS were established they focused more on PM10 than PM2.5, but they have recently decided PM2.5 is the bigger health hazard because it goes deeper into the lungs, so the NAAQS changed just last year (2009). PM10 monitors have been and are being replaced with PM2.5 monitors. My county in Ohio had a PM2.5 monitor installed in summer of 2009. It will be much more difficult to comply with the PM2.5 standard than the PM10 standard. Many counties in the US that were in compliance with the PM10 standard will be out of compliance with the PM2.5 standard. [Aside... they are also lowering the allowable O3 (ozone) level and hardly any locations in the Midwest will be in compliance with the new limit.]

It is possible that some rural areas will have a more difficult time with the PM2.5 standard if, like many rural areas, people there are burning wood to save on home heating costs. Wood burning is claimed (by US-EPA) to be the major source of high PM2.5 levels in rural areas and small towns. Most likely, any county in any state that is out of compliance with the PM2.5 standard will have to outlaw wood burning as an energy source for home heating.

This will not go over well. I am not a wood burner because of the uncontrolled pollution it makes. I believe as a society we cannot allow people to engage in practices that are far away from BAT (best available technology). Wood burning is waaaay beyond BAT and we just have to stop it. This is not a global warming issue as much as a straightforward human health issue. I know plenty of people in my area who do burn wood, and it seems sacred with them. It is a right, just like hot dogs, apple pie, and motherhood. When my county is forced to outlaw wood burning (and corn burning, etc.) which it most likely will have to do, people are going to really get angry. But those of us who are breathing our neighbor's wood smoke are already angry.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Bluffton University
Bluffton, OH 45817
(419)-358-3270
edmiston@bluffton.edu



-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Bernard Cleyet
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 4:59 PM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Cc: Nancy Seese
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Glaze Ice

Salinas hasn't "outlawed" fireplaces, as has Berkeley, yet.

bc collects street side branches.

p.s. I don't "feel" guilty as anaerobic decomposition produces alkanes, which are more green house than CO2.


On 2010, Feb 02, , at 14:43, Edmiston, Mike wrote:


Also, it may be easy for people with access to chain saws, and who are in good health, to get branches to the curb. But many people can't do it, and once these are placed at the curb then what? Cities and towns around here didn't have any place to put the stuff, and the Ohio-EPA prohibited them from burning it. Lima, the closest city to me, (15 miles away and 50,000 to 100,00 people depending on how far you go out) had several mountains of branches. I mean it... these were very huge piles... nearly unbelievable piles.

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