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lung disease and wood firing

updated sat 19 feb 00

 

Liz Gowen on wed 16 feb 00

------------------
Without trying to get everyone up in arms that wood fire, am trying to find =
some
answers and solutions, on how to coexist. ( mind you I love raku and buy it
because I can't fire that way for the same reason)

In all the messages re woodfiring, folks talk about CO and CO2 as end
products of the firing but what is the part, that burns ones lungs, that =
causes
people with lung disease to get bronchiole constriction. Having been =
asthmatic
for a long time, when purchasing a home I looked for an area that doesn't =
allow
leaf burning. This had always been a problem, driving by a burning pile or
having the wind shift when someone near my home was burning. This generally
caused a need for steroid medication , with all its side effects, and a lot =
of
discomfort, panic not being able to breath....
I moved to an area where the orchard growers can burn, getting a =
permit.(
didn't know about that) This is a problem also when the wind shifts. Have =
talked
to the township about trying to find out when they will burn so I can go =
away
for the day while the pile of brush smolders for a good 12 hours.
Thought: would it be possible to set up certain times of the year since =
most
of you seem to fire 2-4x's per year, have it posted so folks like myself can=
go
out of the area for the day. (Perhaps you could haul off the wood from the
orchards so there wouldn't be dual burnings) I guess rain would prevent one
from firing, and don't some go on for days ? Thoughts????
Liz Gowen in NJ ( where I heard there is talk of building an anagama,
hoping it is far enough away, so they can enjoy, and I can breath)

Norman van der Sluys on fri 18 feb 00

Yes, there are all kinds of nasty things that are produced by combustion - any
combustion - and wood fires are no exception. Those with alergies or asthema ma
even be more bothered by the combustion products from wood than from other forms
combustion. Air pollution on a local level is a complicated thing that involves
such considerations as air flow and combustion temperatures. I live in orchard
country too, and have worked for fruit farmers. Sometimes they go for a year or
more without burning their brush because of a combination of weather and work lo
Burning on a particular day is just not feasible for them. Often their best cho
is with a gentle light rain falling, preventing the spread of the fire. These
conditions, unfortunately, often result in the products of combustion staying cl
to the ground, causing problems for sensitive people like yourself. I would sugg
getting to know the farmers in your area and informing them of your sensitivity,
asking them to let you know when they are going to burn brush. A friendly reque
will often lead to positive results.
One other comment about brush burning and air pollution. It ueed to be general
practice for farmers to set off their brush piles by throwing a few old tires un
the pile, dowsing them with diesel fuel. The tires smoked for a few minutes, but
soon began to burn at a very high temperature, burning the brush very efficientl
The higher the temperature of the fire, the less likely pollution will be a prob
Wood firing kilns are a lot less polluting than a farmer's brush fire. At any r
using tires to start the fires off is now banned. All those tires go to a dump
some ravine somewhere, which "accidentally" catches on fire and smoulders blackl
for weeks. Think about how hard it is to set a tire, half full of rain water and
mosquito larvae, on fire "accidentally". The farmers always felt the need to do
them first with heating oil!

Norman van der Sluys
http://jackpottery.tripod.com/>
http://jackpottery.tripod.com/nlci/>



Liz Gowen wrote:

> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> ------------------
> Without trying to get everyone up in arms that wood fire, am trying to find so
> answers and solutions, on how to coexist. ( mind you I love raku and buy it
> because I can't fire that way for the same reason)
>
> In all the messages re woodfiring, folks talk about CO and CO2 as end
> products of the firing but what is the part, that burns ones lungs, that cause
> people with lung disease to get bronchiole constriction. Having been asthmatic
> for a long time, when purchasing a home I looked for an area that doesn't allo
> leaf burning. This had always been a problem, driving by a burning pile or
> having the wind shift when someone near my home was burning. This generally
> caused a need for steroid medication , with all its side effects, and a lot of
> discomfort, panic not being able to breath....
> I moved to an area where the orchard growers can burn, getting a permit.(
> didn't know about that) This is a problem also when the wind shifts. Have talk
> to the township about trying to find out when they will burn so I can go away
> for the day while the pile of brush smolders for a good 12 hours.
> Thought: would it be possible to set up certain times of the year since mo
> of you seem to fire 2-4x's per year, have it posted so folks like myself can g
> out of the area for the day. (Perhaps you could haul off the wood from the
> orchards so there wouldn't be dual burnings) I guess rain would prevent one
> from firing, and don't some go on for days ? Thoughts????
> Liz Gowen in NJ ( where I heard there is talk of building an anagama,
> hoping it is far enough away, so they can enjoy, and I can breath)