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By Tom Osborne
I ’ ve thought about and been dreading writing this particular column for years . At the risk of looking like a cantankerous killjoy , I finally decided I could not consider myself an environmental columnist without unmasking the ugly truth behind the wood-burning fires that bring us such comfort , especially during the unseasonably cold ( by Laguna standards , so laughable I know ) and wet winter we ’ re now experiencing . With that confession , I will now take the plunge into the roiling waters of a topic practically guaranteed to antagonize some readers .
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Nearly every night since November , when I ’ ve stepped outside for fresh air or to stargaze , I ’ ve had to step back inside and shut the door quickly . Why ? The wood smoke in our south Laguna neighborhood was simply too acrid . Because this smoke pollution seems particularly bad at night , I suspect it has as much to do with atmospherics as with residents getting and staying warm . Even a cantankerous killjoy can get that . I , too , love a cozy wood fire .
On the other hand , I ’ m a bit haunted by my interaction with a neighbor ( whose name I don ’ t recall ) about ten years ago . She was a young mom then , married to a Hollywood screenwriter . Articulate , well-informed , and outspoken , she complained to City Hall , wrote emails and testified before our City Council , and urged me to write about the health risks of breathing the particulate matter emitted from wood-burning fireplaces in Laguna . She sent me links to numerous scientifically sourced websites to obtain additional information . Regretfully , fearing reader blowback , I dodged the issue and have since witnessed how the problem has seemingly worsened . Meanwhile , the woman ’ s family has
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moved away from Laguna , leaving me with the discomforting recollection of her plea to address this issue in my environmental column .
In my search for information , I came across a warning posted online by Marin County officials titled “ What You Should Know about Residential Wood Smoke Pollution :”
“ The components of wood smoke and cigarette smoke are quite similar , and many components of both are carcinogenic . EPA researchers estimate the lifetime cancer risk from wood smoke to be 12 times greater than from a similar amount of cigarette smoke .”
Next , I went to the American Lung Association website and found nothing good to say about wood-burning emissions . For example , those emissions contain lung-damaging particle pollution , carbon monoxide , nitrogen oxides , carcinogens , carbon dioxide , and methane . So , to make matters worse , wood smoke contributes to global warming . A more lethal witch ’ s brew would be hard to imagine .
Yet , who among us doesn ’ t like to hear our favorite crooner ( mine was Nat King Cole ) singing “ Chestnuts Roasting by an Open Fire ” in mid-December ? But that song was written in 1945 , long before medical science alerted the public about the
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dangers of inhaling wood smoke . This is 2023 , and we know far more about this matter today .
I know our City has an ordinance on fireplace wood smoke , and the County of Orange has established an air quality threshold for disallowing the burning of wood . I ’ ll need time to unpack the provisions of those local measures . Even with those measures in place , I feel unprotected and housebound to stay indoors when the wood smoke polluting our otherwise refreshing sea air is too noxious to breathe . Knowing this , why would we compromise our health ? Unless or until stronger regulations are in force , we depend on our neighbors ’ goodwill to consider the community-wide effects of using their wood-burning fireplaces . Whatever interior air filters may protect their families will do nothing to keep our neighborhoods from being exposed to smoke that is not only unwanted but , at times , deadly . Being considerate neighbors would take us a long way toward improving public health .
Tom Osborne is an environmental historian and journalist . He is writing a book on California ’ s history of environmental leadership . He and his wife , Ginger , co-lead the Laguna chapter of Citizens ’ Climate Lobby . To join , contact tomosborne @ cox . net .
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