Why isn't wood fireplace burning banned in major cities? Isn't this an archaic method of heating?

Question

We all know it is devastating to the air we breath. Why not just ban it for good? I live in an area that the air gets trapped and the pollution level skyrockets because of this. Please, no stupid angry full of attitude responses. I really want serious answers on what could possibly be done about this.

In the summer, my city has high levels of ozone(smog), but in the winter, the air gets worse because of all of the particulate matter( wood burning) . Why isn't more being done to lower the levels of this pollutant? There are a ton of kids in my area that are affected because they have respiratory problems. And there are plenty of adult sufferers too.(me included).

sciencenut......i know that woodburning does not contribute to "greenhouse gases". but, it is a pollutant nontheless. there are thousands of people in my area who suffer from asthma. and this costs a lot of money each year. emergency visits, medications, etc. i would never personally consider or endorse nuclear energy as a heating source. but that is just my "arrogant" opinion. But, there are clearly other ways. and, this was simply a question on what to do about it. not telling you how to live your life. personally, i'm tired of wheezing from asthma. i don't smoke, i hardly drive my car. i ride my bike with a trailer hitched to take my little ones to school. i also bike to the market. i shouldn't be having to worry that the air index is at 120 in the middle of the morning. your answer really pissed me off for some reason. this was not an arrogant question. you just gave an arrogant answer. so F.U sciencenut

Answer 1

I agree. I complained once informally. My daughter's asthma was horribly affected by wood smoke. Then I learned how many people have no choice. That's all they can afford. ( Let them eat cake?) I don't push it anymore, banning wood burning. The lumber industry releases more particulate material in the air with one burn pile than an entire major city does in one night. I would encourage people who have means for alternative heating to not use wood burning. We've got to get our societies more rational and healthy than this reality, though.

Answer 2

Lazy government is a big reason why (but not the only reason). If all the scientist in the world say that we should ban them, it is still up to the government to impose the ban.

It however is not a completely useless way of heating, if you are heating a small part of a building and have no use for heating the rest it becomes more efficient.

A lot of people prefer wood burning for many reason's and this makes the government less inclined to make a change.

Many people don't see the harm that wood burning has because in the big picture, the effects from a few wood burning fireplaces goes almost unnoticed because they don't burn 24/7/365.

Out right baning of wood burning fireplaces would have a local impact, but nothing much greater than that.

Answer 3

In many parts of the country, where there does live comparatively few people, much less children, there, too, live people who have not the resource or ready-access to heating. So, they do repair to the tried-and-true method of combining wood, fire and air to produce heat for themselves. The country must not employ laws without considering the full implication of the laws. In your example, that is, living in an area where air gets trapped and the pollution climbs in relation to the geography itself, many other variables can be examined to resolve of the problems you address. At the risk of sounding flippant here, those who would complain about wood-burning are not those who are without central heating.

All right, more later...

Answer 4

well I hope you dont drive a car... that doesn't help any either. and don t mow the grass either. what about kerosine heat? hmmm

I agree... too much of anything causes problems and alot of place now do not install wb fp's.. only those vent free gas fp's. If there is such a problem in your area, talk to your local city agancies about enacting such a law. I lived in Reno and that was like living in a filthy fish bowl when the pollution was bad. I think they had a wood burning firplace ban there.. at least on newly built homes.

I love my fire place... the heat is like nothing else. granted a vent free would be nice, no hassle.. but its just not the same.

Answer 5

Woodburning is banned in many cities, due to air polution concerns. However, it is a fact that burning wood for heat does not increase greenhouse gas emissions since this only comes from burning fossil fuels. Furthermore, it is a renewable resource. I once saw a bumper sticker that read, "split wood, not atoms" meaning no nuclear power of course, but you get the point.
So how would you prefer people to heat their homes? All forms of energy usage have their drawbacks. And when you decide, are you going to recommend fines and imprisonment for people who don't comply with your wishes? That is very arrogant.

Answer 6

In a lot of places it is banned. In my city, Denver, it is extremely hard to get a permit to build new woodburning stoves or fireplaces. This has been very helpful for improving the famous "Brown Cloud".

As to why they don't ban existing wood fireplaces? They do increase property values (a wood fireplace is a very nice perk), but I suspect the main problem is that nobody wants to criminalize something that is so difficult to enforce, and in which otherwise law-abiding persons may wish to indulge. And honestly, industry and automotive are the big air polluters... fireplaces are the tip of the iceberg.

Your best bet is to go to local government. Find out who your town's mayor/selectmen/city council are. Write all of them well-thought-out, polite, and concise letters explaining your position. Attend town meetings and ask to speak. Look into local regulations for getting ballot issues added for voters to consider at your next election.

Answer 7

I think because some older homes still have wood fireplaces and people may not have the money to convert it. And many people find it soothing and/or romantic and like the smell.

Phoenix imposes fines for burning wood when the air quality becomes poor (common in Phx), but people still do it.

Answer 8

i dont know if it's an issue of it being banned or not, it's just that there are more effective ways of keeping your house warm. that's why you see furnaces, heaters, and air vents in developed countries, yet in developing countries they still use wood and dung burning because they can't afford the more effective means of heating.

Answer 9

I think it should be banned too. Where I live the air is always polluted from wood burning and pellet stoves.

Answer 10

No, its a cheap way to heat your house.