Team 3: Stop Wood Smoke

*Click on Links Below:
*Clean Air Saves Lives
*No Idling
*Transportation
*Stopping Smoking/Vaping
*Dangers of Methane/Natural Gas
*Lightshows, Not Fireworks
*Actions You Can Take
*Bills to Support

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**“Monitoring air quality is key to forecasting and assessing wildfire smoke. Right now, that’s a coordinated effort between federal, state, tribal, and local entities.”**
“But air quality scientists worry that EPA budget and job cuts will make it difficult to get air quality information to people, endangering public health. And when it comes to longer-term research, some experts say community monitors won’t fill in the gap.
The Trump administration announced plans last month to reorganize the agency and cut staff back to levels last seen in the Reagan era, which could mean the elimination of thousands of jobs. The EPA’s proposed budget for 2026 would halve its funding, from $9.14 billion to $4.16 billion. “

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"…we need to confront the reality that the smoke they emit is a direct source of pollution in our homes, a clear and present danger to the wellbeing of our community in urban and suburban areas, and a looming threat to our natural environment."

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“…researchers at Harvard University found evidence that exposure to elevated levels of fine particle pollution found in wildfire smoke may have led to thousands more cases of covid-19 and more deaths.”

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**“The study found that the risk of dementia rose by 17% for every two micrograms per cubic meter increase in people’s annual exposure to PM2.5.”**
**“For context, the average American is exposed to an average of 10 micrograms per cubic meter every year, much of it from burning fossil fuels.”**

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“Wood burning in towns and cities is a major contributor of toxic air pollution particles, which have been linked to a wide range of health problems, including heart and lung disease, dementia and mental illness in children. Dirty air causes thousands of early deaths a year in London alone, and 26,000 to 38,000 in England.”

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“Acute exposure to wood smoke as a model of exposure to biomass combustion is associated with an immediate increase in central arterial stiffness and a simultaneous reduction in heart rate variability.”

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**“…maternal exposure to wood smoke… is associated with an increased odds of HDP during late gestation.”**

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**“…for the same amount of heat or energy, burning wood releases more carbon dioxide than oil or gas.”**
**“Bioenergy aggravates the climate crisis. Instead, we have to move away from burning anything that generates greenhouse gases.”**

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**“Over the past decade, smoke exposure has doubled or tripled across the American West…smoke accounted for roughly half of the air pollution in the Western United States**”
“That smoke is the focus of a growing subfield of research into the damage of air pollution, especially a level of particulate matter called PM2.5, which is the main component of wildfire smoke. Unlike other forms of air pollution, smoke can kill you immediately if you inhale it.”

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**Skip the fire! Follow the science!**
Wood smoke is toxic. Fires burn children & end lives. Gas fireplaces risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Yearly in the USA: 430 deaths 50,000 people sent to the ER, Emergency Room, because of carbon monoxide poisoning

Doctors & Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution

Research clearly shows wood smoke pollution increases the risk of asthma, heart attacks, strokes, cancers and dementia.

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“Fine particle pollution, or PM2.5, has been strongly linked with increased illness and higher death rates, even at relatively low levels. Residential wood burning is a major source of PM2.5 pollution in many communities.”
**“In Southern California, wood burning emits approximately four times the amount of PM2.5 as all the region’s power plants combined.”**

**Wood Burning and Our Climate**
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“Breathing particle pollution – or soot – can shorten life and send those most at risk to the emergency room,” said Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah, Bay Area allergy specialist and volunteer spokesperson for the American Lung Association. “Wood smoke particles are so small, they can bypass the airway defenses and enter directly into the lung and bloodstream and can cause damage to cells, and lead to lung disease and heart attacks.”