Before you light that trash, think about the children

The weather is finally to the point where we can open our windows and let some much needed fresh air into our homes without having to put on sweaters or turn the heat up higher, but wait what in the world is that awful smell? It’s someone nearby burning trash or wood. It may be a common practice here in Akwesasne to burn trash, wood, leaves, and litter because many do not realize that backyard burning of garbage releases dangerous pollutants including dioxins, volatile organic compounds, and particle pollution. People have been doing this here for many years, but it was done because the dangers of such burning was still then unknown to most. Some people when told of the dangers will say , “I have burned like this all of my life.” If you still burn or know someone who does, please read this article and share it with them.

It is definitely a known fact today that burning trash is harmful to you,  your family, and your neighbors. The chemicals created and released by trash burning, even wood, have been scientifically shown to increase the risk of many health problems, like heart disease, asthma, emphysema, headaches and even cancer. Our precious children are especially at risk. Research has proven that kids absorb up to six times more pollution through their lungs than adults do while breathing in the same air containing smoke. Not only that, but they are more at risk than adults because their immune systems are not yet fully developed.

When wood, household garbage, plastic, or leaves are burned, they produce smoke and release toxic gases. The smoke from the burnings contains vapors and solid compounds that become suspended in the air. These are called particulate matter. The particulate matter and toxic gases released during burning can be very irritating to people’s health. Those who are exposed to these air pollutants can experience eye and nose irritation, breathing difficulty, headaches, and coughing. People both young and old who suffer from heart disease, asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory diseases are especially sensitive to the smoke produced from burning. The following toxic chemicals are released during burning: nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), and polycyclic organic matter (POMs). The burning of plastics and treated wood releases heavy metals and toxic chemicals such as dioxin.

Before scientists learned about the dangers of burning trash, it was commonly burned at homes and landfills. Many towns across the country are now beginning to pass laws to prohibit the practice. Backyard trash burning is harmful because it releases chemicals  into the environment that pollutes our air, food, lakes and streams. A recent study found that residential trash burning from a single home could release more dioxin into the air than an industrial incinerator. Most people do not realize that wood smoke can also be a cause of air pollution. Camp fires, burning wood piles, residential fireplaces, and wood stoves can all release toxic chemicals when they burn wood.

Using the newer U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved wood stoves and fireplaces has greatly reduced the level of air pollution in many areas. Burning particleboard, treated, stained, painted or wet wood should also be avoided because when burned, they release very toxic chemicals. It has been found that outdoor wood burning stoves, also called waterstoves  used to heat water for homes operate by damping the fire to prolong the fuel source.  This “damping” produces harmful chemicals and smoke due to incomplete (low temperature, oxygen starved) burning. For this reason, some local ordinances ban or regulate their use.

The gases released by trash and wood burning causes breathing irritation.  Some of the gases produced are called aldehydes. The aldehydes cause irritation when they contact the eyes, nose, and throat. Aldehyde and other organic gases are the reason why smoke is irritating to the eyes. Smoke from wood and trash contains very small particles that may be breathed in and end up deep inside your lungs. Once trapped in the lungs, these particles will many times cause cell damage. The cell damage can eventually make breathing difficult. In general, the health risk posed by smoke is small if the smoke is mixed with plenty of outdoor air.  However, smoke from burning trash and wood can still be harmful if the smoke accumulates near homes.

The small particles in wood smoke is known to worsen heart conditions by preventing oxygen from reaching tissues.  Breathing difficulties such as asthma, will likely increase in adults or children, if they breathe too much smoke.  Other health problems aggravated by burning include lung infections such as acute pneumonia and bronchiolitis.  Allergies are also worsened. Before you light that next wood or trash pile, think about the children and the babies. The following are suggestions about what we can all do so we do not have to burn our trash or wood that pollutes the air.

The three R’s are the first thing to consider. They are REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE.  (1) Reduce the amount of waste you are creating by buying products with less packaging, and buy items that last longer instead of disposable ones. (2) Reuse the durable packaging you get (for example - wash out that sour cream container and use it to put leftovers into). (3) Recycle all the materials you can, like cardboard, newspapers, cans and bottles. Contact local schools and kid’s clubs to see if they can use things you normally burn for their craft projects. You can spread the word. You can help make a huge difference by letting your friends and neighbors know about the dangers of trash burning, and you can tell them about the safe alternatives.

The following is information about the dangers of burning from the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation found at:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/32064.html

Besides increasing the likelihood of wildfires, burning household trash along with wood (branches, twigs, etc.) can cause harmful health effects due to the release of potentially dangerous compounds found in backyard fires. It is difficult to tell exactly what compounds are released from an individual burn barrel. What comes out depends on the types of trash that went in, the temperature of the fire, and the availability of oxygen.

The burning of synthetic compounds like plastics causes the release of dioxins and other potential carcinogens (cancer causing). Burn barrels usually have fires that burn at lower temperatures than large industrial incinerators. The lower temperature and smoldering fires often found in burn barrels results in harmful fumes released into the air and hazardous materials remaining in the ash.

According to the State Department of Health, some of the toxic chemicals released by burning household trash and their potential dangers include:

benzene (leukemia)

toluene diisocyanate (asthma)

nitrogen oxides (lung damage)

nitrile compounds (metabolic poisons and carcinogens) Other toxic

compounds released from burning trash may include:

dioxins and formaldehyde

hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid

hydrogen cyanide

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

cadmium, lead, mercury and chromium

People should never, for any reason, burn the following items: plastic, foam cushions, furniture, rugs, floor coverings, appliances, rubber, tires, metals, glass, tree stumps, roots, asphalt shingles, any roofing materials, drywall, insulation, or any pressure treated wood (including deck lumber, railroad ties, and telephone poles treated with chromated copper arsenate, creosote or pentachlorophenol). Additionally, individuals should never use the ashes from a burn barrel to fertilize a vegetable garden. The ashes can contain numerous hazardous materials that would be harmful if ingested. Our communities offer pick-up of all of the above mentioned things, so please gather them up and set them out to be picked up and disposed of properly.

Let us all do our part to: “Protect our future generations, protect our children”.