Toxic wood smoke contributes to lung cancer, asthma, other lung diseases and premature death.
I saw this photo and an accompanying story on the blog site : Gardening Gone Wild.
The author Steve Silk was happily reminiscing about how much enjoyment his family gets from burning a big bon fire each Thanksgiving.
Most people would not give Thanks for such environmental disregard.
Photo by Steve Silk
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| From ranch house |
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| From ranch house |
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| From ranch house |
Smoke from wood burning fires contains hundreds of toxic compounds and carcingens.
*here is a devastating lack of awareness that wood smoke is a killer and that urban and rural wood smoke exposure is growing every year as population increases. There is deep denial about wood burning and what it actually costs us in loss of life, loss of quality of life and permanent loss of health. The United States has a population of almost 285 million people. Research indicates that again this year 30,000 Americans will die suddenly from wood smoke exposure alone. Since Burning Issues was founded in 1987, 420,000 premature deaths have occurred and yet the problem of particulate pollution from wood burning has continued to be ignored. We are segregated on the basis of health, education, and habits. Concerned citizens and victims are treated with contempt and condescension by all levels of government, special interest health charities, lobby groups and their neighbors who are filling their houses and neighborhoods with smoke.
* Excerpt from Wood Smoke Particles in the 21 st Centurry by Mary Rosenburg
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5 comments:
I'm sorry, but what are photos 2 and 3 and how do they relate to the bonfire? Perhaps I'm dense?
Hello Weeder1,
Photo 2 and 3 depict a surgical procedure called a Pleurodesis.
This surgery is required when the lung collapses.
It is a terrifically painful surgery.
Exposure to air pollution, inclusive of toxic wood burning smoke pollution, is one of the contributors to having this surgery.
Burning wood causes huge amounts of toxic smoke and large particulate air born matter to pollute the air, which in turn causes many respiratory diseases and in some cases death.
For more information please contact your local American Lung Association
Burning Issues . com
The Environmental Protection Agency
The Clean Air Act
Ouch! Thank you for the explanation. Having had a bout of pleurisy in the past, I can only imagine how much worse this surgery would be. I totally understand the air pollution problem, I just didn't know what the medical photos were depicting.
Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects in children, including SIDS (Sudden Death Infant Syndrome), cancer, respiratory infections, ear infection and asthma.
Children’s exposure to secondhand smoke in Indonesia may be 43 Million.Around one-third of smokers - million people continue to smoke near children.Smoking by parents is the principal determinant of children’s exposure to secondhand smoke.
Please navigate to http://savechildfromsmokers.blogspot.com , and join this group : SAVE CHILD FROM SMOKE (Facebook Group) : working together make a smoke-free homes and smoke-free zones for all children. Dr Widodo Judarwanto, Jakarta Indonesia
Adelen,
Thanks for the information on Chantix.
Folks who smoke are prone to lung diseases and any help they can get to stop is greatly appreciated.
I for one can't stand their second hand smoke.
My lung collapse and partial removal was not due to direct cigarette smoking. It was due to a connective tissue disease that is irritated by the excessive particulate matter in the air. So clean air is greatly appreciated.
Clinic for Children, Thank you very much for your link.
Second hand smoke is an awful polluter and in some cases a killer.
In many cases wood burning smoke and its ill effects and pollution is totally unneeded.
In my neighborhood alone, everybody has gas heat but they burn wood and pollute the neighborhood for their own personal 'ambiance'.
In the case of the huge bon fires , those too are 'ambience' effects.
Community Pollution for the sake of a 'pretty fire'.
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