Dr. Wood: Take steps to keep fires burning clean

After a fiery and smoke-filled summer, air quality is on the minds of many Thurston County residents. While the threat of wildfire smoke may have passed — at least for this year — there are other ways that smoke impacts the quality of the air we breathe.

Chillier nights mean evenings curled up by the fire, and while many people love the scent of a burning winter hearth, it can have big impacts on our respiratory health. According to the Department of Ecology, almost all the wood smoke in Washington is released during winter months. It takes just three months for wood smoke to become Washington’s third leading source of air pollution.

“Studies show that people who heat their homes with wood have more respiratory problems than those who don’t. Smoke particles also invade neighboring homes. Research shows that children in wood burning neighborhoods are more likely to have lung and breathing problems.”

In fact, children aren’t the only ones at risk. Older people, pregnant women, and those with health issues — particularly with respiratory illnesses — also are at risk.

If you do use a wood stove to heat your home, there are a number of steps that are recommended by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency that can help you protect your air quality:

▪ Build small, hot fires. A hot fire will heat the stove enough to burn wood completely, with less pollution.

▪ Let it breathe! Make sure your fire has plenty of air. An overloaded fire box, or one with the damper closed down, tends to smolder rather than burn.

▪ Relight your fire in the morning. Don't try to “hold” a fire overnight by dampering down. While it appears that you’re saving wood, you are actually wasting fuel and creating dangerous creosote build-up.

▪ Burn dry, seasoned wood. Burning green wood provides less heat and adds to creosote buildup in your chimney. Remember it takes at least a year to season green wood.

▪ Don’t burn garbage, plastic or treated wood. These materials release toxic fumes. Also, burning garbage is illegal and could result in fines as high as $14,915 per occurrence.

▪ Step outside and check your chimney. You should see only heat waves. If you see smoke, your wood is not burning completely. Smoke from your chimney means air pollution.

▪ Don’t burn on poor air quality days. Use an alternative source of heat. If you have no choice, please be sure to use the tips listed here to burn as cleanly as possible.

Wood smoke may be one of the biggest sources of air pollution, but it isn’t the only source. Inside our homes, there are a number of things that impact your air quality. Everything from dust, to pets, to the products you use around the house can have negative impacts on your health. Even airing your home out regularly can make a difference.

Thurston County Public Health has an easy Healthy Homes survey you can use to find ways to improve the air quality of your home. Or you can contact us for a confidential Healthy Homes Visit that can help address indoor air quality.

Whatever the colder months may bring, we can all breathe easier knowing someone is keeping track of our air quality. The Washington Smoke Information web site is a great resource for reliable information about our state’s air quality year-round. Information about county burn banscand local air quality also are available at the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency.

Everyone can take steps to improve the air they breathe, just in time to enjoy the scent of spiced cider on a cold evening.

This story was originally published October 28, 2017 at 5:37 AM with the headline "Dr. Wood: Take steps to keep fires burning clean."