|
| |
 |
AQMD Launches Voluntary “Check Before You Burn” Program
|
November 3, 2010
Residents urged to avoid wood burning when
unhealthful air quality levels are forecast
Starting this week, the South Coast AQMD will ask residents to take part
in its “Check Before You Burn” program to help improve wintertime air
quality by not burning wood in their fireplaces when unhealthy air quality
is forecast.
Under the new program, AQMD will issue voluntary no-burn advisories through
the end of February for specific areas where fine particulates are forecast
to reach unhealthy levels.
“Pollutants in wood smoke pose serious health consequences for us all, but
especially for children and other sensitive populations,” said William A.
Burke, Ed.D., chairman of AQMD’s Governing Board. “We hope that residents
respond to these voluntary advisories to help us reduce the number of
unhealthy air quality days during winter.”
Instead of burning wood or other solid fuels including wax or synthetic
logs, AQMD urges residents to use cleaner-burning options such as
natural-gas logs and electric fireplace displays. These cleaner-burning
alternatives are not affected by the no-burn advisories. Residences above
3,000 feet elevation also are exempt from the advisories.
The Check Before You Burn program is part of AQMD’s Healthy Hearths
initiative under its Rule 445, which includes requirements for natural
gas-fueled fireplaces in new construction.
Under Rule 445, the no-burn advisories are voluntary this winter, but will
be mandatory starting Nov. 1, 2011 and during following winters from
November through February. Campfires, beach bonfires and ceremonial burning
are exempt from the wood-burning curtailment program.
Since wood smoke is such a serious public health threat, most areas of
Central and Northern California – in addition to many other areas and cities
across the nation –have had mandatory wood-burning restrictions in place for
several years.
Fireplaces and other wood-burning devices are actively used in an estimated
1.4 million households in the Southland. They emit an average of six tons of
harmful PM2.5 emissions per day in the South Coast Air Basin -- more than
four times the amount of PM2.5 emitted from all of the power plants in the
Southland. From November through February, when wood burning is at its peak,
it is estimated to cause more than 10 tons per day of PM2.5 emissions.
During a typical Southland winter, 15 or fewer no-burn advisories are
expected to be issued from Nov. 1 through the end of February. An advisory
is triggered when PM2.5 levels are forecast to exceed 35 micrograms per
cubic meter averaged over a 24-hour period. Weather plays a major role in
wintertime PM2.5 levels, which can rise to unhealthy concentrations during
stagnant atmospheric conditions.
PM2.5, also known as fine particulate, is a serious public health threat
associated with a wide range of adverse health effects. The California Air
Resources Board estimates that PM2.5 pollution from all sources in the
Southland results in about 5,000 premature deaths per year. Southern
California has some of the worst PM2.5 air quality in the nation.
To learn if a voluntary no-burn advisory has been issued for a particular
area of the Southland, residents can:
• Check AQMD’s Check Before You Burn map at
www.aqmd.gov to see if a voluntary no-burn advisory has been issued for
their area. Residents may also zoom into a particular neighborhood on the
map by entering an address or zip code;
• Sign up to receive electronic e-mail notices when a no-burn advisory is
issued for their area. Visit
www.airalerts.org to sign up; or
• Call AQMD’s 24-hour Check Before You Burn toll-free information line at
(866) 966-3293.
Advisories are issued one day in advance and last for 24 hours. For example,
an advisory issued on a Monday is in place from Monday at midnight (just
after 11:59 p.m. Monday) until Tuesday at midnight.
For more information on the Healthy Hearths initiative, health impacts from
wood smoke and any incentives available for purchasing clean-burning natural
gas log sets, visit
www.healthyhearths.org.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties
-#-
|
This page updated:
November 03, 2010
URL: http://www.aqmd.gov/news1/2010/checkbeforeyouburnpr.htm
|
