Brendon Haggerty crouched beside a Solo Stove fire pit in his Portland backyard and stacked a few pieces of well-cured wood. This is a common scene for many households, hanging out with friends and family around a warm, bright fire. He crumpled sheets of newsprint and lit the flame.
Haggerty supervises the wood smoke curtailment program at the Multnomah County Health Department and illustrated the impact of fires on air quality for his friends as they gathered in his backyard. Within moments, the air quality monitor he was holding began to beep. As smoke from the flames blew across his backyard, the air quality maxed out the monitor’s ability to measure air pollution.
Cozy backyard fires might feel good on a cool night, but even fire pits marketed as “efficient” or “smokeless” are not harmless.
Haggerty’s demonstration proved what public health officials have long warned: Cozy backyard fires might feel good on a cool night, but even fire pits marketed as “efficient” or “smokeless” are not harmless. It’s a key reason why Multnomah County regulates indoor and outdoor fires year round. Wood smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), a dangerous pollutant smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Short-term exposure may cause mild irritation symptoms. Long-term exposure can lead to serious health problems such as cancer and heart disease.
“Most of us probably don’t imagine that one fire could be a problem, but to a vulnerable neighbor it really could be harmful,” Haggerty said. “So even if that fire brings some people closer together, chances are someone lives nearby who is going to suffer the consequences.”
Why do we burn wood?
With rising costs, many assume that people burn wood to stay warm. As an affordable source of energy, especially during hard times, wood is readily available for a good price. Yet consumer data show that most households in Multnomah County are not building fires to stay warm, but for enjoyment.
Comparisons of income data from the Census Bureau and burning behavior from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality underscores that most of the burning occurs in higher-income households that have other sources of heat. Unintentionally, these higher-income neighborhoods, whose air has gotten cleaner over time, may be contributing more wood smoke and worsening disparities in air quality across the county through recreational burning.
Why does my fire matter?
Wood burning may seem like a personal choice since it is often done in one’s own home or backyard. But the health impacts of smoke affect everyone in the community. Wood smoke can also reach far more people because of the volume of emissions and the dense urban distribution of people across the county. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that emissions from residential wood smoke account for 11% of cancer risk from air toxics in Multnomah County.
“Talking to your neighbors is the best way we can help people understand the impact of this problem,” said Jonathan Cruz, a program specialist for the health department. “It can be difficult to explain to others that their actions are having negative consequences, but it’s worth having a conversation.”
Multnomah County is working to improve air quality for everyone and reduce these disparities by regulating wood burning and educating residents about the problem. Exemptions remain for residents with low incomes and in situations where wood burning is the primary source of someone’s heat, for ceremonial purposes, or during an emergency. Cooking food is also exempt.
Cruz says the regulation is expected to improve conditions throughout Multnomah County and will benefit everyone affected by woodsmoke. “The good news about air pollution is that it is a solvable problem,” Cruz said. “To protect your health, check the county’s wood burning restriction status before you burn.”
Find that information and more at multco.us/woodsmokestatus.