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Hazards of smoke

Letters

Editor:

Gathering around a campfire with friends and family, roasting marshmallows while watching the flames dance. A harmless, social activity and the best part of summer, right? Not quite.

The smoke is far from harmless and, much like hearing bass without the rest of the music, being subjected to it without consent and the benefit of the warmth is anti-social. There are some members of our society who, unable to enjoy the outdoors for three quarters of the year due to neighbouring homes heating with wood, actually look forward to annual burning bans for a breath of fresh air – provided there is no nearby wildfire.

As you reposition yourself around the blaze to avoid the smoke, think of the person downwind who has had to close their windows yet again an attempt to keep it out – a futile gesture as the particles are actually so fine they can infiltrate the tiniest cracks. Research on residential wood burning in the winter has shown that indoor pollution levels in nearby homes with alternative heating can reach 74 per cent of what is outside.

Wood smoke is a contributing factor in heart and lung diseases, and can worsen asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The tiny particles, which are 25 times smaller in diameter than a human hair, can also enter the bloodstream and affect the brain both in terms of behavioural disorders and stunted cognitive development in children and dementia progression in adults. In addition to all the toxins found in much greater concentration from wood burning than from cigarettes, salt-laden driftwood also releases carcinogenic dioxins and furans during combustion.

If you feel you must have that beach fire, which is not permitted within the Town of Gibsons, please get as far away from homes and other groups as possible and set up below the high tide mark. Check that the venting index is “good” and ideally wait until after sunset when an offshore breeze will take the smoke out over the water. Bring your own seasoned wood (with less than 20 per cent moisture content) and a large bucket to douse the embers with seawater when done.

Nara Brenchley, Sunshine Coast Clean Air Society, Gibsons