Air quality poor; refrain from burning where possible, urges Clean Air Agency

Don’t burn storm debris – seek alternatives instead

 

Dec. 18, 2006 — Air quality in the central Puget Sound region is uncharacteristically bad, particularly given the current weather pattern. Several residential air quality monitoring sites are recording air pollution levels in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and “unhealthy” categories. This unusually poor air quality is likely associated with widespread power outages and more people than normal using wood stoves and fireplaces for heat.

Because so many people have only wood to rely on for their heat, we ask those with power to use their primary source of heat and not use wood stoves and fireplaces during this period of power outages. If you need to burn wood for heat, we encourage you to burn small hot fires with dry wood (http://www.burningclean.com/). This will produce less smoke, reducing the health impact on all of us and particularly those with heart and respiratory problems.

Heat is a critical priority during a prolonged wintertime power outage. Outdoor burning of tree limbs is not. Even if you live in an area where burning residential yard debris is allowed (with a permit from your fire district), we ask you to use other disposal methods at this time.

We ask that you help protect the air we breathe.

For additional information,

How to burn cleanly when heating with wood

Alternatives to outdoor burning

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is an air quality management agency serving King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Created as a result of the 1967 Washington Clean Air Act, the agency protects public health and improves air quality by adopting and enforcing air quality regulations, educating individuals and businesses about clean-air choices and sponsoring voluntary initiatives to improve air quality.