My Burning Shame
Recently, the Guardian Newspaper published a column by respected activist and journalist, George Monbiot, titled “My burning shame: I fitted […]
Category Archives: Health
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Ultrafines: Counting particles by number highlights risk
Ultrafine particles (diameter of 0.1 microns or less) are considered more harmful to human health than larger particles. Their microscopic […]
Annual health cost of wood heating in Comox Valley = $76 million
“Wood heaters really punch above their weight when it comes to polluting the atmosphere. Any scheme that replaces wood heaters […]
Very long way to go to meet new WHO air guidelines
A few weeks ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced new, stronger guidelines for air pollutants. WHO warns that “exceeding […]
Australia: regulatory failure and lack of stove replacements costing lives and money
An article from Australia, “Wood heaters: lung cancer risk equivalent to passive smoking” highlights the failure of programs that emphasize […]
Who is supposed to pay for education & enforcement?
When people defend the use of wood stoves, they often say things like: “people just need to learn to burn […]
Wood stoves triple PM2.5 inside homes
According to a recent article in the Guardian “Wood burners triple the level of harmful pollution particles inside homes and […]
Take action this National Non-smoking Week
This week is “National Non-smoking Week” (January 15-21, 2021). While the focus is on cigarette smoking, it is a good […]
Poor venting leads to build up of pollution
These images are from Monday morning from 2 different webcams in the valley. They clearly highlight what happens when people […]
High healthcare costs of a single wood stove
A new study from the University of Tasmania’s Menzies Institute for Medical Research highlights the high healthcare impacts and costs of […]
Clean Air Day 2020
Today is Clean Air Day in Canada. Fortunately, we have clean air in the Comox Valley right now as people […]
Courtenay bans new installations
This week Courtenay Council passed a new bylaw banning the installation of wood stoves in new construction or in homes […]
Record: Breathing always hard for some Comox Valley residents
The Comox Valley Record published a great story (March 30, 2020) on burning restrictions during COVID-19 and the impact of […]
Globe opinion: To help flatten the curve, let’s clean our air
Three BC experts co-wrote an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail that highlights the impact on air pollution on […]
Open Burning restrictions in response to COVID-19
There are different burn bans in our region to help protect people’s health during COVID-19 pandemic. As BC has noted in […]
Letter to elected officials: Improve health outcomes by reducing burning
Breathe Clean Air sent this letter to local elected officials today. If you are concerned about the impacts of burning […]
Lungs don’t care it is “just start-up smoke”
When industry rates wood stove emissions, the tests are not required to include the start-up smoke. And any bylaws that […]
Healthier Home Video from Cowichan
Our fellow CVRD down island (Cowichan Valley Regional District) has produced this wonderful short video highlighting the benefits of switching […]
This National Non-Smoking Week we need action on this 2nd hand smoke
This week, Breathe Clean Air circulated this image to elected officials, health organizations and others to highlight the huge source […]
Check out our new ad!
Breathe Clean Air’s new 1/4 page ad highlights the health impacts of wood smoke pollution (see p. 38 of the […]
Doctor speaks out about wood smoke
Wood smoke pollution is unfortunately plaguing many towns and cities worldwide. This opinion piece, “If we’re serious about improving the […]
Students walk through smoke
Imagine the concern if this much cigarette smoke was part of the daily walk to and from school? These photos […]
Use savings from reduced health impacts and costs to fund solutions
We know that air pollution like wood smoke creates a range of health issues, from mild, to severe, to even […]
Wood heat is a massive source of PAHs
Although we often focus on the high amounts of harmful fine particulate matter in wood smoke, it is important to […]
Air Pollution Particles Found in Placenta
Breathing in wood smoke impacts far more than our lungs. The fine particulates in the smoke cause inflammation and that […]
What people hear when they get sick
Many people would express sympathy if you got sick from being exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke. They would understand the […]
Non-Smokers dying of lung cancer
According to an article in the Guardian, a recent study shows that 1 in 6 people in the UK who […]
For COPD patients: Biomass Smoke Likened to Risk Posed By Tobacco Smoke
According to the website, COPD News Today, “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who are exposed frequently to biomass smoke emitted […]
NEW Brochure! Wood Smoke in the Comox Valley
Breathe Clean Air is please to announce the release of our new four-page brochure on wood smoke in the Comox […]
National Non-Smoking Week
This week is National Non-Smoking Week. Although the focus is on getting people to stop smoking cigarettes, we know all […]
FILM: Cost of Wood Heating
Breathe Clean Air is happy to launch a new film we had made about the cost of wood heating. The […]
BC LUNG: “The toxic truth about wood smoke”
This article is from the BC Lung Association: Isn’t wood a source of renewable energy? A natural substance? A heat […]
LETTER – Health policies regarding wood smoke need to be updated
The following is a Letter to the Editor from a local nursing student. It was published in the Comox Valley […]
Worse than at least 18 diesel cars
Reducing fine particulate pollution from diesel vehicles has been the focus of many efforts to clean up our air. Emissions […]
Why no advisory?
This morning we exceeded, for the first time this fall, the BC Air Quality Objective for a 24 hour period […]
Decafnation: Comox Valley has a wood stove problem
Decafnation, wrote an article on wood smoke pollution in the Comox Valley after attending a recent talk by Jennell Ellis […]
Vital Signs 2018: More people concerned about air quality
Earlier this week, the Comox Valley Community Foundation released its Vital Signs 2018 report. One notable change since the last report […]
Risk of dementia 70% higher in homes with wood stoves
Researchers at the Umea University in northern Sweden have studied air quality in homes where wood-fire stoves are used and […]
Is wood heating climate change friendly?
Using wood for home heating is often touted as a climate change and environmentally friendly fuel. But is it?
Videos from Public Forum on Air Quality
On March 14th, Breathe Clean Air hosted a public forum on air quality. Over 80 people attended, including a number […]
Nursing students talk about air quality
On March 8th, two nursing students, Samantha DesRoches (left) and Emma Paul (right) set up at North Island College to share […]
Public meeting on Air Quality in the Comox Valley
We are hosting a public meeting on Air Quality in the Comox Valley. The event will be Wednesday, March 14th, […]
Was $2.5 million on wood stove exchange worth it?
Does focusing on getting people to switch to newer stoves work? Did it work after one town spent $2.5 million […]
Another Air Advisory issued (Dec. 11)
Another Air Advisory was issued this morning for the Comox Valley. This is our 3rd advisory so far this winter. Inversions are trapping air, […]
Air Advisory issued Dec. 7th
An air advisory was issued on Dec. 7th for the Comox Valley. Please check your weather channels or websites to […]
UPDATED: Air Quality Health Index not good assessment of risk
When our smoke levels go up, whether from wildfire smoke in the summer or residential wood burning in the winter, […]
No safe level of exposure
A US study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that death rates among people over […]
Air Quality Forum April 4th
There is an important AIR QUALITY FORUM in the Comox Valley on Tuesday, April 4th. This is an “Elected Officials […]
Presentation to Cumberland Council (March 13)
This Monday night (March 13th), Earle Plain, our regional Air Quality Meteorologist, and Dr. Charmaine Enns, our Medical Health Officer, […]
NEWS RELEASE on heart attacks and wood smoke study
Breathe Clean Air issued the following news release today about a health study done in Courtenay/Comox and two other communities […]
On the Island interview: health impacts of air pollution
The following is a transcript of an interview by radio host Gregor Craigie with guest Dr. Paul Hasselback, a Medical […]
Monitor location makes sense (letter to editor)
On Nov. 25th, the Comox Valley Echo reported on comments from CVRD Directors, Ken Grant and Larry Jangula (click on […]
High Health Risk & Air Advisory Issued
Late at night, on November 17th, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for the Comox Valley was set at a […]
Wood smoke puts children at risk
The American Lung Association in California issued a news release on Nov. 1st which highlights the dangers of wood smoke to […]
Local air quality featured on Shaw TV
Air quality was featured in Shaw TV’s September’s broadcast of “Judi’s Comox Valley Stories”. The 12 minute piece by Judi […]