Is your Fireplace Santa Claus Friendly?

Tip toeing on snow-covered roofs lugging around an enormous gift bag is hard enough without having to negotiate through polluted chimney smoke. Give Santa a break this holiday season. Let's improve the air quality for Santa and ourselves by practicing cleaner and safer wood burning techniques and opting for an advanced combustion wood stove or fireplace insert.

Canadians are fond of their fireplaces and wood stoves. In fact, 1.3 million Canadian households use wood as an effective and economical home-heating alternative. But what many might not realize is that although wood is a natural product, its combustion contains more than 100 pollutants, several of which are carcinogenic. Using a certified wood stove will significantly reduce the amount of most of these pollutants being released into the atmosphere.

Wood combustion produces fine particles, that can be inhaled and retained in the lungs. Other emissions produced by wood burning include carbon dioxide (CO2), and the products of incomplete combustion such as carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Wood smoke emissions are harmful to human health and are a significant source of air pollution. These emissions may cause eye and throat irritations, headaches, allergies and respiratory problems. Young children, seniors and persons with respiratory problems are particularly susceptible.

There are many simple steps we can take to reduce the impact of wood smoke:

Burn Cleaner

• Use dry, seasoned wood. Burning fresh wood with a high moisture content reduces the combustion temperature and increases the formation of creosote and pollutants.
• Avoid treated, painted or salvaged wood.
• Never burn domestic waste such as plastic, metals or treated papers including wrapping paper.

Burn Smarter

• Maintain a healthy fire with a chimney temperature of 150ºC-200ºC. Dark or gray smoke is an indication that the fire is not hot enough and is releasing large amounts of emissions.
• Maintain smaller, hotter fires rather than large smoldering ones. Do not allow fires to smoke within your home. This smoke contains many pollutants which are harmful to your health.
• Install a double-walled flue pipe to allow your appliance to run hotter and more efficiently.

Burn More Efficiently

• Replace older technology stoves or fireplaces with Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved cleaner combustion wood burning appliances. These certified appliances reduce smoke emissions by as much as 90 per cent compared to conventional appliances.

As part of the Government of Canada's commitment to improve air quality and to reduce the emissions of toxic substances, Environment Canada, Ontario Region is sponsoring a Wood Stove Education and Change Out Campaign under the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy. Through this Campaign the public can attend local workshops to learn more about safer wood burning practices, the dangers of wood burning and related air quality issues. Retailers are also part of the Campaign offering people financial incentives to swap their old wood-burning appliances for new, high-efficiency CSA or EPA approved stoves or inserts. Hundreds of households have made the switch as a result of similar change out campaigns in cities across Canada. In Ontario, the Woodstove Education and Change Out Campaign is centered in the Georgian Bay area. Look to this site for more details in the new year.

Emissions from Residential Wood Burning in Ontario

(Reference: 1995 Criteria Air Contaminant Emissions Inventory Guidebook, unpublished draft, February 2000)

Daily Winter Dispersion Forecast in the Greater Montreal Area Pilot Project 2000 - 2001

When the temperature drops and there is little wind, pollutants tend to accumulate in the air. By predicting these weather conditions, this information can be used to encourage area residents to reduce their emissions during these periods.

In a pilot project, a daily winter dispersion forecast will be issued in the Greater Montreal Area from December 14, 2000 to April 1, 2001. The daily forecast of winter dispersion will classify conditions at three levels: good, acceptable or poor. When atmospheric dispersion is poor, an alert will be issued to the public via the media.
More on the Pilot Project can be found in the related links.

Seasons Greetings for a warm and safe holiday. And if you were considering a wood stove as a holiday gift for someone, make sure its CSA or EPA approved.