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Health and Environment
Protect Your Health
To protect your health and that of everyone in your neighborhood:
- Use only heaters that meet or surpass the emission level for EPA's voluntary program. Look for the orange tag (PDF) (1pg, 55k, About PDF)!
- Ensure your heater is properly located and vented so that any smoke generated does not go into your neighbor's yard.
- Have your heater cleaned and inspected annually
- Use safe, efficient wood burning practices
Outdoor wood-fired hydronic heaters (OWHHs) produce smoke when wood does not burn completely. Most current OWHHs smoke even when operated according to the manufacturer's instructions. Even new generation OWHHs that meet EPA's voluntary program performance specifications can produce smoke if operated improperly.
Smoke from OWHHs contains a complex mixture of gases and particles. The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. EPA is concerned about particles that are 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller because those are the particles that generally pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs. Once inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs and can aggravate existing diseases, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
"Fine particles," such as those found in smoke, are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller. These particles can be directly emitted from sources such as forest fires, or they can form when gases emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles react in the air.
Residential wood combustion emissions also contain sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and potentially cancer-causing compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, formaldehyde and dioxins. Some of these pollutants are known to cause cancer but their effects on human health via exposure to wood smoke have not been extensively studied.
Those who heat with wood should do so as cleanly as possible. If possible, replace your old, dirty OWHH with a new generation OWHH that meets or surpasses the EPA voluntary program emission levels. Also, all OWHHs need to be properly located, well-maintained, and used correctly to minimize air pollution resulting from burning wood, and consequently, help reduce risks to health. The NESCAUM Model Rule includes helpful information on minimum distances to neighbors and minimum stack heights to ensure better air quality. More about best burn practices.