This week is “National Non-smoking Week” (January 15-21, 2021). While the focus is on cigarette smoking, it is a good time to write to national and provincial health organizations (emails below) to ask them to show leadership and take meaningful action on the wood smoke.
Wood heating and yard waste burning are huge sources of harmful fine particulate matter and other toxins in many communities and neighbourhoods across the country.
Health organizations can and should be doing a lot more to educate the public about the health risks of wood smoke, and calling for strong regulatory changes that will clean up our air.
You might want to highlight that promoting newer stoves and better burning practices as a solution has not worked. If anything, such programs can be seen to normalize and condone wood burning.
- Canadian Lung Association – info@lung.ca
- Canadian Cancer – connect@cancer.ca
- Heart & Stroke Foundation – doug.roth@heartandstroke.ca
- Asthma Canada – info@asthma.ca
- BC Lung Association – info@bc.lung.ca