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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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SoCal Bans Wood Burning on Bad Air Days

But fireplace lovers need not fret: only 24 days per year

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(Newser) – Officials in charge of air quality in Los Angeles and surrounding counties have banned the use of wood-burning fireplaces during certain high-pollution days. The fines would only be levied on about two dozen winter days, and wouldn't affect gas fireplaces, wood-burning ovens in restaurants, or homes above 3,000 feet, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"This is about trading personal rights for cleaner air and public health," explained a district official. Southland fireplaces currently spew about six tons of soot into the air every day, contributing to an estimated 5,000 early deaths per year from respiratory problems. Not everyone is swayed by the ban's benefits, however: one SoCal resident vows, "You're not going to regulate my chimney."

In one effort to reduce the typical SoCal haze, California officials have imposed limits on the use of wood-burning fires in the Southland on high-pollution days in winter.
In one effort to reduce the typical SoCal haze, California officials have imposed limits on the use of wood-burning fires in the Southland on high-pollution days in winter.   (Getty Images)
Los Angeles sit under a blanket of smog in this Jan. 14, 2000, file photo. Pollution standards are too weak to protect people from the air they breathe, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson declared, Thursday, June 21, 2007. California officials added wood fires to the list of regulated polluters yesterday,...
Los Angeles sit under a blanket of smog in this Jan. 14, 2000, file photo. Pollution standards are too weak to protect people from the air they breathe, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson declared,...   (Associated Press)
This photo provided by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses shows an aerial view of the Rose Bowl football game between Southern California and Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008 in Pasadena, Calif. Officials hope that new bans on lighting wood fires on certain days will cut down on pollution in...
This photo provided by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses shows an aerial view of the Rose Bowl football game between Southern California and Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008 in Pasadena, Calif. Officials...   (Associated Press)
Any new homes built in Southern California won't be able to include wood-burning fireplaces in their plans, and those who already have one will have to pay attention to daily pollution levels before lighting the kindling, following a ruling by the South Coast Air Quality Management District board.
Any new homes built in Southern California won't be able to include wood-burning fireplaces in their plans, and those who already have one will have to pay attention to daily pollution levels before lighting...   ((c) Wesley Fryer)
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