My Burning Shame
Recently, the Guardian Newspaper published a column by respected activist and journalist, George Monbiot, titled “My burning shame: I fitted […]
Tag Archives: wood stoves
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How is this legal?
For the last six years, Breathe Clean Air has been asking for change that will clean up our air and […]
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 […]
Industry proposal promotes wood burning for long-term
In June and July, the wood stove industry, the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association (HPBA), presented a “three pillar proposal” […]
How successful was Libby wood stove exchange? Not very.
Libby, Montana is often showcased by the wood stove industry as a successful example how replacing old stoves with new […]
REPORT: Certified wood stoves may not be better than stoves they replace
A brand new report from state air agencies in the US Northeast concludes “…the existing [EPA] program provides no confidence […]
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 […]
$3200 rebates in Cumberland & West Courtenay
The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) is offering a rebates to eligible residents who remove their 5+ year old wood-burning appliance […]
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 […]
Courtenay bans new installations
This week Courtenay Council passed a new bylaw banning the installation of wood stoves in new construction or in homes […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Comox says no to new stove installations
On March 5th, the Comox Council voted to disallow any new installations of wood burning appliances in new homes and […]
Wood not always the cheapest heat
Many say they use wood heat is because it is cheaper to operate than other sources of heat. But is […]
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 […]
Improved rebate program – 5 year old stoves eligible!
CVRD has improved its wood stove exchange program! If you have a stove that is manufactured before 2014, you can […]
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 […]
36% of homes produce 73 times more pollution
In the Comox Valley, wood heat generates 73 times more harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5) than all other sources of […]
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 […]
Candidates respond to Air Quality Questionnaire
NEWS RELEASE: Oct. 3, 2018 Candidates in the local government elections have responded to an air quality questionnaire distributed by […]
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 […]
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 […]
Your input needed: CVRD survey on home heating and air quality
The Comox Valley Regional District has launched a new survey aimed at understanding how Comox Valley residents heat their homes […]
Wood smoke negates other efforts to reduce pollution
Wood burning–once thought of by many as a people and earth-friendly source of heat–is worsening pollution in cities in Europe. […]
Cumberland to look into no new installations of wood stoves
Last December, Cumberland staff introduced for first reading some new bylaws to regulate wood stoves in the town. Unfortunately, the bylaws […]
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 […]
New summary report of mobile monitoring in the Comox Valley
Last February, a researcher did extensive mobile monitoring in parts of the Comox Valley (see our write-up about the study). […]
Rebates for new wood stoves: Not effective solution to pollution
BC’s wood stove exchange program provides rebates for the removal of highly polluting, uncertified wood stoves. In a positive step, […]
2017 Mobile Monitoring – Preliminary results
This past January-February, a mobile monitoring study of fine particulates was conducted in the Comox Valley for two weeks. Two […]
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 […]
The air we share
The photos below were taken in Courtenay, Cumberland, Comox and CVRD in November 2016.These are not being shared to target specific homes. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Lack of action continues in the Valley
“Health concerns about wood smoke are driving some B.C. municipalities to ban old, inefficient stoves starting as early as next […]
New appliance regulations do not address current air quality problem
The Comox Valley Record published an article on the new wood stove regulations in B.C. “Changes to the solid fuel […]