Freedom of Air - Public Awareness of Outdoor Wood Boilers

OUR OWB FACT SHEET

WHAT THEY ARE:

An outdoor wood boiler (OWB) is any furnace, stove, or boiler designed to burn wood, where the unit is not located within a building intended for habitation by humans or domestic animals. OWBs, also known as water stoves, typically look like a small utility building with a smoke stack. OWBs provide heating and/or hot water to a single residence.  Most OWBs cost between $3,000-$10,000 installed (1).

CONCERNS:

WITH BUILDING STRUCTURE

Stack Height

The stack heights should be high enough to permit adequate dispersion of the pollutants that are released.  The stacks of these units are very short.  Smoke and soot are released close to the ground.(2).  In contrast to indoor wood stoves, which feature chimneys located above the building's roof line, smoke is released from the OWB via a short chimney, typically at a height of approximately six to ten feet.  Chimney extensions are sometimes added to increase the height (3).  The generally short chimneys and reduced draft of OWBs fail to disperse emissions adequately and can cause smoky conditions at or near ground level (4).

WITH PARTICULATES AND EMISSIONS RELEASED

Particulate size and the ability to penetrate

Releases particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns [PM 2.5] (5).  Particulate matter of this size can easily penetrate air gaps commonly found in doors and windows.

Types of Emmissions

Wood smoke contains a mixture of at least 100 different compounds in the form of gases and fine sooty particulate matter (PM).  Some of the major components of wood smoke are on EPA's list of six "criteria pollutants" in the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), including ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide.  This smoke can contain unhealthy levels of toxic air pollutants and known carcinogens, including significant amounts of particulate matter (PM) of various polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs) (6).         

    

Types of items possibly burned

Hazards associated with burning garbage or inappropriate materials--Burning particleboard, treated, stained, painted, wet or freshly cut wood can release very toxic chemicals.  These materials should never be burned in OWBs.  Trash burning is especially harmful because it releases chemicals that are persistent in the environment, polluting our air, food, lakes and streams.  Burning plastic and treated wood also releases heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as dioxins.  Exposure to dioxins can cause skin problems, reproductive or developmental problems, and may even increase the risk of cancer (7).  Never burn household garbage or cardboard (8).  Outdoor Wood Boilers may be more expensive to operate depending on the availability and price of dry seasoned wood (9).

Health risks

The six criteria pollutants were singled out by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because of the negative impacts of these pollutants on human health, which include coughing and difficult or painful breathing, increased susceptibility to respiratory illness like pneumonia and bronchitis, eye and nose irritation, hospitalization for heart or lung diseases, and premature death.  Symptoms of people exposed to wood smoke from OWBs include eye and nose irritation, breathing difficulty, wheezing, coughing, and headaches.  People with heart disease, asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory diseases are especially sensitive.  In particular, wood smoke can be harmful to the elderly, babies, children, and pregnant women (10).  The American Lung Association of Maine strongly cautions against the use of outdoor wood boilers for residential heating purposes (11).

Property value/selling prices

The value of property may decrease over time because of the emissions that are incurred from the outdoor wood boiler.  People selling their property may have to decrease the asking price to compensate for the OWB that affects the property.

WITH INEFFICIENCY

While advertised as a clean economical way to heat one's house and water, OWBs may be among the dirtiest and least economical modes of residential heating, especially when improperly used (12).

Emissions Comparison

The current generation of OWBs emits as much particulate matter as 50 to 500 diesel trucks (13).  They emit over ten times the amount of air pollution than an EPA certified wood burning stove (14).  Even when used properly, OWBs emit, on an average per hour basis, about 4 times as much PM 2.5 as conventional wood stoves, about 12 times as much PM 2.5 as EPA certified wood stoves, 1000 times more PM 2.5 than oil furnaces, and 1800 times more PM 2.5 than gas furnaces (15 or 15). 

SOLUTIONS:

1.  Ensure that OWBs are installed where they do not create an air pollution health hazard.  Local officials should give careful consideration to the influence that changes in land use can have on where OWBs are installed.  This is especially important when agriculturally zoned land is changed to residential.  This frequently results in homes being built too close to OWBs.

2. Restrict what can be burnt in an OWB to clean dry firewood.

3. Place OWBs at least 300-500 feet from the nearest building which is not on the same property as the unit.

4. Require that OWB chimneys be 15 feet high, or at least as high as the roofs of nearby buildings.

5. Require annual permitting of OWBs by the local fire chief (16).

REFERENCES:

1)  Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/HlthHaz/fs/waterstoves.htm

2)  Vermont Air Pollution Control Division  http://www.vtwoodsmoke.org/ME-hlth.html

3)  Smoke Gets in Your Lungs:  Outdoor Wood Boilers in New York State (Attorney General's Report) http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/August%202005.pdf

4)  Petition for rulemaking under 42 U.S.C. § 7411(b)(1) Regarding Outdoor Wood Boilers

 http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/Petition.pdf

5)  Petition for rulemaking under 42 U.S.C. § 7411(b)(1) Regarding Outdoor Wood Boilers

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/Petition.pdf

6)  Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services

http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/HlthHaz/fs/waterstoves.htm

7) Wisconsin Department of  Health and Family Services http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/HlthHaz/fs/waterstoves.htm

8)  U.S. EPA Program Fact Sheet http://www.epa.gov/woodheaters/pdfs/fact_sheet_1_29_07.pdf

9)  Petition for rulemaking under 42 U.S.C. § 7411(b)(1) Regarding Outdoor Wood Boilers

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/Petition.pdf

10)  Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/HlthHaz/fs/waterstoves.htm

11)  Vermont Air  Pollution Control Division http://www.vtwoodsmoke.org/ME-hlth.html

12)  Petition for rulemaking under 42 U.S.C. § 7411(b)(1) Regarding Outdoor Wood Boilers

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/Petition.pdf

13)  NESCAUM Outdoor Wood Boiler Fact Sheet http://www.nescaum.org/documents/owbfactsheetfinal.pdf

14)  Vermont Air Pollution Control Division http://www.vtwoodsmoke.org/ME-hlth.html

15)  Petition for rulemaking under 42 U.S.C. § 7411(b)(1) Regarding Outdoor Wood Boilers

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/Petition.pdf

 or

Smoke Gets in Your Lungs: Outdoor Wood Boilers in New York State (Attorney General's Report)

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2005/aug/August%202005.pdf

16) Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/eh/HlthHaz/fs/waterstoves.htm

 

DR. DAVID R. BROWN'S ASSESSMENT OF OUTDOOR WOOD BOILERS:  

http://mainegov-images.informe.org/dep/air/owb/brown_owb-risk-assess_HERA%282007%29.pdf

A quote from Dr. Brown’s report:

“As stated earlier, inhaled dose is an appropriate metric to assess the potential
for adverse health effects. The inhaled dose was calculated for a resident of a house
near an OWB by assuming 1 air exchange per hour for the house. The 6-h periods of
highest outside ambient levels of PM2.5 were used in order to determine the period
of greatest risk. Based on these criteria and the adult inhalation rate (0.8 m3/h), the
inhaled dose of PM2.5 was determined to be 130 µg/6 hours for persons 1000 feet
from the source and 200 µg/6 h for persons 500 feet from the source when wind
speeds are 2 mph.

The exposure assessment example described how wind speed substantively controls
the exposure outside and inside the houses. A reduction of wind speed is
sufficient to produce a 6-h exposure inside a house that will create an unhealthy
air day. Distance in itself is not sufficient to assure acceptable exposure levels. At
low wind speeds under stable conditions the plume travels many meters with little
dilution, placing distant houses at risk. Data from Johnson (2006) show the futility of
short-term monitoring to evaluate such risks because the plume changes direction
under typical low-wind speed conditions.

During a period of low wind speed (less than 2 mph), based on the example in
this report, persons 500 feet and 1000 feet would be exposed to a 6-h dose of 200 and
300 µg, respectively, placing them in the moderate to high risk category for that day.”

 

 

OUTDOOR WOOD BOILER/FURNACE MANUFACTURERS RECOMMENDATIONS:


The Manufacturers of OWBs are sponsored by the Hearth, Patio, & Barbecue Association (HPBA).

In 2002, 9 manufacturers formed the Outdoor Furnace Manufacturers Caucus under the HPBA (Hearth, Patio, & Barbecue Association). The caucus formed to address issues that affected the industry. In 2003, the caucus along with HPBA published the first Best Burn Practices for the outdoor wood furnace industry. It addressed starters, fuel use, location and stack heights in relation to the distance of residences (not served) to the outdoor furnace. The caucus supports permitting requirements, reasonable setbacks, proper fuel use and minimum stack heights.

CLICK HERE:
Hearth, Patio, & Barbecue Association Publications





Below is what was taken from some of the OWB manufacturers' websites/manuals:

1) Central Boiler

Outdoor Furnace Best Burn Practices
Central Boiler, in partnership with our industry association, the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association (HPBA), recommends following the Outdoor Furnace Best Burn Practices, and the owner's manual.

Further, Central Boiler also has a website they maintain to talk about "Best Burn Practices"

CLICK BELOW:

Central Boiler's Outdoor Furnace Facts Page

Central Boiler even has a written model ordinance. These are the people who make OWBs saying that there should be a minimum standard and ordinance:

Central Boilers Model Ordinance

2) Heatmor

From the Owner's Manual of the OWB across from our home. (This was made public at our hearing)

1) OWBs should not be used as a primary heating source, but used as a supplementary heating source.

2) Owners should only burn dry seasoned wood.

3) No accelerants should be used for burning.

4) Units should not be within 100 feet of a residence not being served.


So the question of the hour is this: Is it the OWB manufacturers fault? Or the fault of those who don't pay attention to the details? Our vote goes for the individual; because as it can be clearly seen on the date listed above, OWB manufacturers are telling consumers where and when OWBs should be used. They give the information to consumers before they purchase their products, thus they cannot foresee the careless actions taken by a buyer of their products. In our case, the boiler was purchased in October 2006, where as you can see above, the HPBA had its best burn practices released in July 2006. 

Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM ):

NESCAUM Website

NESCAUM is a nonprofit association of air quality agencies in the Northeast. They have developed the standard for what the U.S. EPA has adopted as reccomendations on OWB use in the United States. Please click below to see the different works that NESCAUM has developed addressing OWBs:

NESCAUM's page on Outdoor Hydronic Heaters (OWBs):
Outdoor Hydronic Heaters

If you also notice on the U.S. EPA's website, "NESCAUM Model Rule" is a link on the right of the page:
U.S. EPA Website- Outdoor Wood Heaters

MODEL ORDINANCES:

This section is for those who are interested in adopting an ordinance regulating OWBs in their respective communities. Below are some model ordinance links that should be helpful to public administrators in adopting rules. Some of the information below has been repeated and can be found throughout the rest of the page. This section is designed to be a place to collectively view the ordinances, rather than having to search the site for the links.

1) Central Boiler's Ordinance Sample:

Central Boilers Model Ordinance

2) La Crosse County, Wisconsin:

La Crosse County, Wisconsin Ordinance

3) Orrville, Ohio:

Orrville, Ohio Ordinance

4) Michigan Model Ordinance for Outdoor/Open Burning:

State of Michigan Burning Ordinance

5) General Code Services (6 cities/villages):

OWB Ordinances for Six Cities/Villages

6) Bowdoinham, Maine OWB Ordinance:

Bowdoinham, Maine Ordinance

7) Lake Mills, Wisconsin Burning Ordinance:

Lake Mills, Wisconsin ordinance

8) Door County, Wisconsin Burning Ordinance:

Door County, Wisconsin Burning Ordinance (OWBs)

9) Wilson, Wisconsin OWB Ordinance:

Wilson, Wisconsin OWB ordinance

Our frustation is that despite all of the information available to our local government with regard to the studies on this page and the laws and ordinances on the books, (see The Law blog) we still are considered bad people because we want clean air to breathe.

 

 

 

 

Below are links that we have come across dealing with wood smoke and the effects it has on the human body.  These are a collection of scientific research papers written by renown scholars, scientisits, and academics.  Often we have encountered many skeptics even believing wood smoke exposure is even an issue. They claim that other sources that wood smoke isn’t an issue because other things like vehicle emmissions, forest fires, and even barbequingare comparable sources of particulate emissions Below you can see from a study conducted by a group in California that wood smoke particulates are the #1 source for particulate air pollution.

 

I tried to group the studies in research together demographically.  All of the articles are in English, however the research was conducted in different countries throughout the world.  This only proves our theory that this is a worldwide concern and not just an issue locally in the United States. You will come to see by the collection of research below that “wood smoke” is just as deadly, if not worse, as any other form of pollution. Also you will see that this research has been collected for many years, so that leaves us to ponder the question…….. Why does everyone still in the present day act like this is not a REAL issue?

 

Please view the list of research and case studies dealing with wood smoke below:

 

NOTE: SOME OF THESE LINKS DO REQUIRE ADOBE TO VIEW AS PDF FILES, IF YOU ARE HAVING TROUBLE VIEWING ANY OF THESE LINKS PLEASE CONTACT US AND WE WILL TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

 

United States Research and Case Studies:

Woodsmoke Health Effects: A Review (2007)
http://ehs.sph.berkeley.edu/krsmith/publications/2006%20pubs/JIT%20Woodsmoke2.pdf

Particulate Air Pollution, Oxidative Stress Genes, and Heart Rate Variability in an Elderly Cohort (2007)
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2007/10318/10318.html

Case Report: A Case of Wood-Smoke–Related Pulmonary Disease (2006)
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1459932

Cause and Effect in Lung Cancer: Fueling the Fire (2005)
http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/128/1/6 

Wood Smoke Inhalation Causes Alveolar Instability in a Dose-Dependent Fashion (2005)
http://www.rcjournal.com/contents/08.05/08.05.1062.pdf

Lung Cancer Pathogenesis Associated With Wood Smoke Exposure (2005)
http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/128/1/124

Evaluation of a New Approach for Real Time Assessment of Wood Smoke PM (2004)
http://www.nescaum.org/documents/2004-10-25-allen-realtime_woodsmoke_indicator_awma.pdf

PM Toxicology: Latest Findings and EPRI’s New Research Initiatives (2003)
www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/03/valuing-ext/Rohr.pdf

Health Effects of Subchronic Exposure to Low Levels of Wood Smoke in Rats (2002)
http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/65/1/115

Highly Polar Organic Compounds Present in Wood Smoke and in the Ambient Atmosphere  (2001)
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/2001/35/i10/abs/es001420r.html

Comparison of exogenous surfactants in the treatment of wood smoke inhalation (1995)
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/152/2/597

Biomass Smoke Experimental Studies in Humans (Unknown Date)
www.umt.edu/cehs/ibshe_presentations/Balmes.pdf

Initial results on use of subcritical water for extraction and fractionation of organic aerosol from wood smoke and diesel exhaust particulate and application of toxicity tests(Unknown Date)
http://www.netl.doe.gov/publications/proceedings/02/air_q3/Organic%20Aerosol.pdf

  
International Research and Case Studies:

Translocation of particles and inflammatory responses after exposure to fine particles and nanoparticles in an epithelial airway model (2007)
http://www.particleandfibretoxicology.com/content/pdf/1743-8977-4-9.pdf

Shedding new light on wood smoke: a risk factor for respiratory health (2006)
http://www.erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/27/3/446

Wood smoke exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2006)
http://erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/content/full/27/3/542

Physicochemical characterisation of combustion particles from vehicle exhaust and residential wood smoke (2006)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16390554&dopt=AbstractPlus&holdng=f1000%2Cf1000m%2Cisrctn

Wood smoke extract induces oxidative stress-mediated caspase-independent
apoptosis in human lung endothelial cells: Role of AIF and EndoG (2005)
http://ajplung.physiology.org/cgi/reprint/00099.2005v1.pdf

Urinary Biomarkers in Charcoal Workers Exposed to Wood Smoke in Bahia State, Brazil (2004)
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/13/6/1005

Household wood and charcoal smoke increases risk of otitis media in childhood in Maputo (2004)
http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/33/3/573.pdf

Airway Hyperresponsiveness in Wood Smoke Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (2003)
http://meeting.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/124/4/168S-b

Wood-Smoke Exposure: An Unusual Cause of Miliary Mottling on Chest X-ray (2003)
http://medind.nic.in/iae/t03/i4/iaet03i4p273.pdf

Birth Weight and Exposure to Kitchen Wood Smoke During Pregnancy in Rural Guatemala (2002)
http://www.ehponline.org/members/2002/110p109-114boy/boy-full.html

Short-term Effects of Wood Smoke Exposure on the Respiratory System Among Charcoal Production Workers (2001)
http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/119/4/1260

Published Studies on the Health Effects of Woodsmoke (1998)
http://www.3sc.net/airqual/smog_refdescr.htm#CityWide

Stimulation of vagal pulmonary C fibers by inhaled wood smoke in rats (1998)
http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/84/1/30

Reflex apneic response evoked by laryngeal exposure to wood smoke in rats: neural and chemical mechanisms (1997)
http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/83/3/723

Exposure to biomass smoke and chronic airway disease in Mexican women. A case-control study (1996)
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/154/3/701

 

Know of a study not on this list? Please contact us and let us know and we would be more than happy to add it to our site.

freedomofair@yahoo.com