• According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental  Protection, a study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and  the New York State Department of Health shows that burn barrel emissions from  2-40 households burning their trash in barrels can produce levels of toxic  emissions comparable to a well-controlled 200 ton/day municipal incinerator.

• The chemical can include acid vapors and dioxins as well as heavy  metals such as lead, cadmium and chromium and unhealthy levels of carbon  monoxide.

• The short-term effects are usually coughing or irritation of the  respiratory tract and eyes.

• The long-term exposure to these pollutants may lead to cancer and  emphysema.  

• Dioxins are linked to increased risks of cancer, delays in child  development and damage to the immune system.  

• Smoke can be a vehicle for deep penetration of pollutants into the  lungs.

• Due to the potential health and fire risks associated with open  burning, the PADEP strongly recommends to recycle and reuse and instead of  burning, consider the following alternatives:  reduce, reuse, recycle, compost,  and grasscycling

• Wood smoke contains 100 different chemicals and compounds, and is  one of America’s largest sources of pollution that is responsible for 30,000  deaths each year. 

• A survey by the CDC which found that in the last 10 years, the  number of children suffering from asthma has doubled, with 1 in 7 children (8.6  million nationwide) has been diagnosed with asthma.

• Pets, including horses, are also harmed by the negative effects of  wood smoke with increasing numbers of pets with chronic bronchitis, asthma,  nasal and lung cancers.  When horses are exposed to wood smoke and other  particulates, they develop respiratory allergies as horses have an extra strong  reaction to poor air quality and develop increased mucous and inflamed airways  which makes breathing difficult.

• The largest single source of outdoor fine particles (PM2.5) in  many American cities is our neighbor’s fireplace or wood stove.  The particulate  matter in wood smoke is so small that closed doors and windows cannot stop it  from entering, even in newer energy-efficient weather-tight homes.

• As published April 20, 2016, the American Lung Association’s 2016  ‘State of the Air’ Report finds that more than half of Americans live with  unhealthful levels of air pollution consisting of either ozone or particle  pollution which puts them at risk for premature death, and other serious health  effects like lung cancer, asthmas attacks, cardiovascular damage, and  developmental and reproductive harm.

• The ‘State of the Air’ Report finds that “the particles emanating  from wildfires, wood burning devices, coal-fired power plants and diesel  emissions are so small that they can lodge deep in the lungs and trigger asthma  attacks, heart attacks and strokes, and can even be lethal”.

• According to the United Health Foundation’s report on air quality  in each state, Pennsylvania ranked number 3 of the most polluted States   http://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/photos/the-air-up-there-how-polluted-is-your-state/ss-BBnyj9d 

• Cancer is the number 2 killer of Americans, with chronic lower  respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma coming in  as the number 3 cause of death   http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/11/15-top-killers-of-americans/comment-page-3/  

• According to the American Lung Association’s City Rankings Report  Card for 2016, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania received the grade letter “F”. 

• The EPA estimates that wood smoke is 12 times more carcinogenic  than equal amounts of tobacco smoke and attacks our body cells up to 40 times  longer than tobacco smoke. 

• The overwhelming facts and statistics regarding the negative  health effects of wood smoke and open burning are well documented.   Pennsylvania's residents can greatly benefit from a health and quality of life  perspective if Pennsylvania takes the following actions: 

 – Ban all open burning in Pennsylvania. 

 – Implement a regulation that would require annual chimney  cleaning/maintenance certification for     Pennsylvania residents utilizing indoor  wood burning fire places. 

 – Investigate the eligibility criteria for Act 101, the Municipal  Waste Planning Recycling and Waste Reduction Act,     whether as a mandated or  non-mandated municipality in order to apply for grant funding.