The Bay Area Air Quality Management District advised residents to avoid burning wood during the novel coronavirus outbreak to protect local air quality.
Wood burning is not illegal, according to the district, and there is currently no regional order in effect banning the use of fireplaces, outdoor fire pits or wood burning stoves.
However, wood smoke can include fine particles and substances that are particularly harmful to children, seniors and people with respiratory illnesses.
The fine particulates in smoke can stress our respiratory and immune systems at a time when we all are especially apprehensive about staying healthy,” Air District Executive Officer Jack Broadbent said. “Please
be conscientious of your neighbors, especially the most vulnerable – preserving good air quality will help everyone during this difficult time.”
The district is not expecting poor air quality in the Bay Area in the immediate future but wood smoke can cause harmful effects in localized areas.
“Now is the time to be highly considerate of those with asthma or respiratory illnesses,” Air District Health Officer Judith Cutino said. “Smoke impairs our lung function as well as our immunity at a time when we can least afford it.”
85 comments
Ok, if that’s the case then maybe they should ban alcohol sales since it hurts your immune system. How about anything that contributes to diabetes since we know that also contributes to fatalities from this virus!
We should also regulate what people are eating since obesity is also something that contributes to bad results from this virus.
This is just crazy!
Sweetie, your drinking doesn’t trigger my asthma, but your unnecessary wood burning does. Do you see the difference?
Exept drinking or bad food doesn’t affect anybody but the person that is doing it.
So I am expected to use PG&E, pay the exorbitant rates, to warm my house all day when we are all here … sorry, not happening.
Sorry MomLady, but I will continue to burn my Madrone and Almond wood throughout the day to keep my family warm. And this is true for most of my neighborhood as I see at least 8 houses on my block burning daily right now. Before you bounce back on this response, please look at the particle count of Madrone and Almond wood as compared to Pine and other softwoods. You might be surprised at how little ash/particulate it leaves.
MomLady… But, someone’s drinking could affect you, when under the influence, they ram into the side of your car after they run through a red light.
MomLady, or NannyState… either way, what Broadbent and his agency do best is soak up taxpayer funds with one hand, whilst shredding documents reflecting their illegal actions with the other. That’s Sweet.
@Momlady,
First, I am not for banning anything. I do like to have my wine. But I would like to point something out to you. You seem to think that alcohol does not effect you. 88,000 people die every year due to alcohol. It is number three in main cause of death in this country. Next year 88,000 more people will die because of alcohol. Alcohol is the third leading cause of death in this country behind tobacco and heart disease. Of those 88,000, 10,000 are from DUI. The toll it takes on people’s lives and the health care system, your health care system, is staggering!
My point sweetie was that wood smoke to heat a home should be far down the list, if even on the list, when the government is deciding how to improve our lives and finding things to ban. 85% of PM 2.5 in the air comes from sources other than people heating their homes with wood.
@MomLady – sweetheart your asthma is your problem and maybe you should wear a mask when going outside but I will throw another log on the fireplace in honor of you.
Ok, we should also ban the sale of alcohol because it can lower your immune response! We should regulate what people buy that could contribute to diabetes because we know it is a factor in bad results when infected by the virus. While we’re at it we should ban any food that could possibly contribute to obesity since that is also a factor in fatalities. All of these cause cause far more problems than anyone heating their home with wood.
What an idiot this guy is.
I am all for protecting the environment.. but…. millions of people have lost jobs. PG&E’s rates are high so some people have no other choice than to burn wood to heat their homes. Don’t we have bigger fish to fry?
PG&E is actually lowering their rates.
This is a new normal and a very serious time we have. Yep your freedom has been removed for your sake and others. Get over it.
We have to follow the rules. Six feet apart! Wash your dirty little hands and stay home. You can only go to essential businesses too.
This is the now. No parks, no restaurants, no vacations, no cruises!
Educate your self and remember Flatten the curve! Or you could end up dead in a box.
@ ilovepopcorn
“Yep your freedom has been removed for your sake and others. Get over it.”
My God, that rational has been used by despots throughout history and you said that like it was the new norm. Like the Bill of Right was just an theoretical idea that could be brushed aside when ever the Government felt like it. Without so much as a by your leave. You said it without a care or concern about the Government, our government suspending portions of the Bill of Rights or for you, the Bill of Suggestions I guess.
What happens if next year there is another new virus and the year after that another new virus? What happens when it stop being an ilovepopcorn emergency and “get over” it become the norm?
Will you stand up and say enough is enough or will it be too late and will America becomes just another dystonian society where the needs of the many out way the needs of the one?
You are short sighted and say, “but it’s only temporary” and “its for the greater good”. . History says temporary can easily become permanent if the citizens become accustom to less freedoms.
“Guard, protect and cherish your land, for there is no afterlife for a place that started out as Heaven.” — Charles Marion Russell (1929)
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” – Benjamin Franklin
Ilovepopcorn
My freedom has NOT BEEN REMOVED! I will burn my wood. I will go outside. And I will be SAFE and SMART about both of them. I am an educated FREE MAN. I am not a slave, nor a robot, nor one that will obey every ‘rule’ dreamed up by some wanna be leader sitting in a political chair. Yes rules are there for a reason, and I will obey those that are legal and moral! But I will not obey a rule that takes away my rights granted to me by being a citizen in this country.
I’m asking if you’re not willing to put your responsibilities ahead of your rights when asked for the greater good, what rights do you really deserve?
Who should be in charge of what I “deserve”?
@Atticus Thraxx well said. And whether deserved or not, “rights” have a flip side. There is an obligation to labor to preserve them for all, not just one’s self. This can be inconveniencing. It can demand time, money, and labor.
but lofty rhetoric aside, I’m still mostly in the “get bent, Jack Broadbent”, camp.
Born free and will die that way, too.
I’ll be the one who decides what I “deserve.”
@Gittyup – And who will decide what others deserve?
So, because I have no job because of this horrible virus, don’t know if I will be able to pay my PG&E bill, you are telling me I can’t burn during the novel coronavirus outbreak? i’m trying real hard to stay positive but you all are making extremely difficult.
PG&E won’t being doing any disconnects for the forseeable future. You can pay them later.
How can I pay them later, if I don’t have a job now? What point is everyone missing?
@chris ,
This virus pandemic is not good news for too many people, I tell you.Other than how it has played out, have you considered a different option? I am hoping it is an option that people safe and working. or, is there another plan? thanks, and sorry about the loss of work.
Carnac You are supposing a lot of things that you have no idea will actually happen. I have learned in life it is best to not imagine bad things in the future, usually whatever is happening at the moment is enough for me to deal with,
As Mark Twain said: I have had lot of trouble in my life, most of them never happened.
You should be getting money from the government, and depending on what job you had you can file for unemployment, they relaxed some of the rules for filing for unemployment. Depending on you age and health some companies are hiring, especially if you can do food delivery.
“You should be getting money from the government”
And where, pray tell, does the government get money? Did the government suddenly start producing it’s own revenue?
This is what happens when an agency is OBSESSED with itself. Instead of staying quiet, even with no air pollution problem, they have to say something to stay relevant. This crisis has reminded us that we have REAL problems and the Air Quality district is IRRELEVANT. Time to get rid of this agency and divert the funds to fight this and future pandemics.
Yeah, let’s just forget about the people with breathing problems. How dare they!
I agree, 100%!
Rollo, Yes I know the government gets money from taxes and the US has a lot of debt. However, in this crisis it will help a lot of people. Also I noticed after Trump became President no republican was upset about the debt. Perhaps Mark Levin, but then he is always upset about something. Even Rush said on his show “no one cares about the deficit any longer”.
So Concord Ygnacio, are you proposing that we stop every activity that might harm anybody? If so,
No more drinking for you, because you become a drunk and hurt someone.
No more driving a car for you, because you could have an accident.
No more cell phone for you, because you could potentially be distracted by the device and hurt/kill someone.
No more gluten for you, because gluten hurts people … same with peanuts, milk, dairy, pollen and everything else that causes allergies, both mild and severe.
No more goods produced in a factory because they belch pollutants into the air that are bad for ozone and planet.
Sorry concord ygnacio, but we cannot stop everything …
Air District Executive Officer……hmmm, that sure sounds like a phony-baloney position that should be eliminated.
What a waste of funding…
I’m sitting in my living room right now with a warm fire burning in my fireplace.
I will also have it burning as soon as I wake up tomorrow morning..
These people need to mind their own business.
Most fools do not realize that an open fireplace removes more heat from their home than it provides. Only efficient wood burning appliances provides a heat gain.
John P.,
My thermometer disagrees.
Until it is illegal, this is one request I will ignore.
It is my understanding that air quality is actually better than it has been in decades and I find it hard to believe that a small fire in someone’s home will make a significant impact.
@A
Begging your pardon, but do you realize what a stupid thing you just said?
So we will hear from the people who hate the governments recommendation all the time for not wood burning! They really get uptight when we have spare the air days. They will say I will do what I want! Not a time to be a rebel. People need to breathe and if they have this virus and they are trying to recover the wood burning particles would be very bad for them.
With your unwavering support of government power, it sure makes it comfortable for those in power to know that you (and those like you) are so easily controlled and ready to be subjects.
And, i will burn tonight to stay warm.
And then we will have the other people who will do exactly as they are told!
The worst time to burn is when it’s raining. It makes dirty water!
It’s better to burn when it is raining than it is when it’s clear and cold.
I was just saying to my wife that we haven’t heard from these self important public trough feeding morons lately. Frankly, I was expecting a spare the air day… anything to remind us how important they are…..
Concord Ygnacio, you are incorrect. PG&E is not lowering their rates. Your rate is probably lower because you’re on the CARE program.
Not sure PC&E are lowering their rates, but I did see an articles that mentioned they would give customer’s a rebate for April. Come May we shouldn’t need heat. In fact I sitting in my bed, no heat on, and I’m so hot that temporarily I had to kick the covers off.
People are supposed to be staying indoors anyway, so unless you’re out in the neighborhood for a walk, how is burning wood in your fireplace going to effect anyone else? I’ll burn tonight!
Lord Broadbent never misses an opportunity to get his name out there.
@ILovePopcorn – seriously?? MY freedom has been removed for MY SAKE and for OTHERS? WOW!! I have a boxcar for you to load yourself into – for your own safety of course.
Stop driving cars, stop lighting candles, stop smoking pot and cigarettes, stop using scented dryer sheets, stop buses and trucks from running, stop using leaf blowers, stop all factory production, stop wood burning. Did I miss anything else the control freaks want us to stop?
Plastic straws seem to be important to some people…….
You are overreacting. No one is seriously talking about not driving cars, same with lighting candles, pot is legal so who are telling you to stop smoking it. I couldn’t care less if you use scented sheets, or smoke cigarettes, as long as you don’t blow the smoke in my face.
I think some are making suggestions, and you take it as someone trying to control you.
Paper bags!
Oh wait, haven’t those reusable bags been blamed for spreading the virus? Oh, the irony!
I would like to personally thank the BAAQMD for providing the best quality air we have breathed in probably fifty years… oops..might have not realized it but it might be that the approximately five million people in the Bay Area are simply not driving now….This proves their efforts are not worthy of their existence…The taxes we pay for this government agency could be well spent in better ways…
Many people have wood fires in their homes to offset the excessive bills from the utility companies who obviously want that money…a well built fire with quality wood have little nox… by the way I am a lifelong asthmatic….
I read that air quality has improved measurably since people stopped driving to work or places to play. People have continued to heat their homes with clean, wood burning appliances during this plague, and don’t seem to be the killers the Air Board would have you believe. I’d have to say it’s not the wood burning we need to fear as much as the entrenched oil and automobile industries that cause more than 60 percent of the air pollution.
Those of you screaming about your freedoms and your rights – it’s an advisory. Not a mandate. A request to think twice about burning for the ambience. Chill.
I didn’t plan on having a fire this evening but after reading this article it sounded like a nice finish to the night.
I placed a small room thermometer on my coffee table an hour before I started the fireplace, to let it adjust to the room. It read 67.1 degrees just before I positioned the kindling and lit the long reach match.
I’ve had the fire going for about 3 hours now and the thermometer reads 73.8, and not one dime is owed to PG&E for the comfort currently being enjoyed. Snap. Crackle. Pop.
I don’t get this discussion. Early this year it was cold, I was sharing a house with another person, and the heater didn’t work, although I had one that worked in my bedroom. It was cold in the morning when I got up, but after taking a hot shower and starting to move around I was fine.
Now we are already in April and it is not very cold, even if you turn the heat on do you really need it all day? I hate being cold, and hot as well, one reason I like the California climate. I grew up in Denmark, lived in New York and Connecticut for a combined 6 years, and some months in Milwaukee, this area does really get very cold, and when it does not for long. I guess it is different if you are born here. In 3 weeks we are in May and shouldn’t need heat at all.
Honestly it’s not my concern but the proper phrase is “couldn’t” care less.
The scientists ask us to wear masks in an effort to minimize the aerosolized coronavirus, while leaf blowers are pushing air throughout any community. I’m on your side Aunt Barbara.
Thanks qwerty. Happy to see someone has common sense.
I’m already trapped in my house to potentially save others. Now you’re trying to tell me what I can and can’t do within my own walls. This is getting ridiculous.
I have no problem with you burning wood if you keep all the smoke within your own walls.
You government-loving lemmings haven’t seen anything yet. Enjoy your new world of idiot bureaucrats calling the shots on every move you make.
For all of the people here that REPEATEDLY show up whining and complaining and blaming our State Government for how horrible their lives are in the Golden State (which happens to be the 5th largest economy in the world) – – – perhaps you should pack your bags and move to FLORIDA, ALABAMA, GEORGIA, or TENNESSEE where morons elected complete idiots as their Governors.
If you don’t like living here …. its pretty simple.
Move.
It won’t be the 5th largest economy in the in the world much longer! Odd, don’t you think, that Brown and others must have anticipated this when they accumulated a 26 billion dollar state budget surplus. I recall him saying before he left office that we were going to need it.
I remember that phrase from the sixties “Love it or leave it” it was usually meant for the protesters of the Vietnam war. I would venture to say many (not all) of those complainers would be the first to use that phrase when someone don’t agree with them.
They didn’t issue a spare the air declaration banning wood smoke. The memo just says “Please be conscientious of your neighbors, especially the most vulnerable”. Yet, people in this thread are having tantrums that the government is taking away their rights. We’ve even got a comment in this thread insinuating that this memo is tantamount to slavery.
There’s a serious lack of perspective being displayed in this thread. All that was asked is that people show awareness and courtesy to their neighbors, and the response has been vitriol and conspiracy theories.
Gittyup, I believe what Brown meant in regards to the surplus. At some point we are going to need for any number of reasons, fires, earthquakes, flood or pandemic. For States to have an emergency fund is prudent, and no different from any us having an emergency fund, we don’t know when and for what we might need it, but life has taught us at some point, the car breaks down, the heater breaks goes, or you have a medical or dental emergency.
It is disheartened to read all these comments and lack of community spirit.
It sounds like some are going to burn wood just out of spite. Isn’t this a time where we all should come together? Of course that will never happen 100%
but it seems like we could all do a little soul searching and try to have some goodwill towards our fellow human being, including elected officials, they are not the devil, you might not agree with them, or have voted for them, but does that mean you have to vilify them over every little thing.
Remember Lincoln’s words’ “With malice towards none and charity for all”.
It always amazes me how worked up people get whenever this topic comes up. Like there’s a “right to burn wood”? Not in the constitution that I see. I think it has something to do with the American frontier fantasy. Like Daniel Boone had a fire and I can do. People should grow up a little and realize those days are gone, they were just a Disney movie anyway. There’s now 7.8 billion of us on this planet and we should at least do a little to take care of it.
” … life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Last time I checked, it was still a free country.
I agree. It amazes me how worked up people get over little things. Like bring you own bag to the store and recycle, complaining it is taking away your freedom. Like that has ANYTHING to do with real freedom. If you have ever seen a picture of a dolphin or seal caught in a web of plastic bags you should have some sympathy.
I grew up in a country where in the fifties and early sixties most merchandiser did not give out bags, especially grocery stores, baker, butcher etc. You brought your own, I believe it was that way in most of Europe, we didn’t know any different so no complained. In fact when stores started to supply bags, my Dad got very upset over the waste. My Dad was actually pretty conservative in a Scandinavian sort of way, and he hated waste of any kind.
It always amazes me how people think the Constitution gives us rights.
“Like there’s a “right to burn wood”? Not in the constitution that I see.”
It’s right there next to the right to an abortion. Can’t believe you missed it.
The point is that smoke goes out the chimney and into the neighborhood, meaning that the air quality in that particular neighborhood is not good. It’s got nothing to do with personal rights. That elderly neighbor or person with cancer who lives down the street needs healthy air right now.
I have 57 cars driving by my house every school-day morning (1 parent, 1 kid, and 1 big, honking polluting SUV) between 7:30 and 7:45 am. What’s a little wood smoke gonna do?
The cars (unfortunately) are an essential part of our daily life. Their exhaust gives me breathing problems too, but I’m not going to stop driving yet so I can’t complain about them. I probably gave myself my own breathing problems (and put my back out hauling my own wood) by heating my house solely with my fireplace over 3 decades. Now that wood smoke is one of the many things I can’t hack anymore I feel really bad for doing that to my neighbors, especially during periods with no air movement and times with low atmospheric pressure when the smoke collected low to the ground. No one ever said anything, I guess breathing other people’s smoke was more accepted back then, and I didn’t understand about breathing issues. Nowadays I sure do appreciate every breath of good clean air. They are few and far between.
If we can not burn wood then the elites should not be able to fly their precious private jets which pollute way more than burning some logs. Why do they get away with it but us average citizens have to be told we cant do this or that, they are just trying to conform us and make us fight. Do you really think because your not burning some logs that you are saving the planet or better than someone who is? These rich people consume so much more resources buying stuff and guess what it takes power to create the stuff they consume, power which takes oil to produce and make and its a lot more pollution put out to make that stuff than burning some logs… go yell at them !
You want to tell us to stop burning logs but you probably buy a new iphone ever year! Do you have any idea how much pollution is put out to mine the lithium for the battery’s in those devices let alone the plastics and other materials used… GIVE ME A BREAK!
They should stop cigarette smoke before they suggest stopping wood smoke. Talk about a proven immune system and respiratory stress! Smoking has no benefit. Burning wood does. At least it’s just a suggestion, but it seems like a “no more plastic straws” band-aid. Just a drop in the bucket and causes more inconvenience than any good it does. I’m so thankful that many cars are off the road which has improved air quality. I’m all for being considerate of the at-risk breathers, so I’m not going to burn wood just for the heck of it, but I would never tell someone that uses log-burning for their heat source to stop. Let’s keep a healthy perspective.
Too bad I just read this….I’ve had a fire burning all day!! All these restrictions and quarantine and sheltering in place is getting old but we are doing it and will continue to do what is necessary to get life back to our new normal. But I’m still putting logs on the fire.
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