The Editor,
Re. "Wood smoke is new burning issue in Metro's crosshairs" (tricitynews.com).
Could exposure to wood smoke be one of the reasons so many people have heart problems? I know several couples in my neighbourhood where both husbands and wives are diagnosed with serious heart conditions.
Metro Vancouver's wanting to control wood smoke, even ban it, would result in better air quality in residential areas where wood burning takes place. Such regulation be more than welcome as it would contribute to the reduction of ailments that are related to wood smoke.
A few decades ago, scientific studies revealed that smoke from burning wood contains particulate matter and hazardous chemicals. Some of these chemicals are labeled carcinogenic and mutagenic, and these can enter the body through inhalation and have a chance to interfere with the integrity of any one of the approximate 100 trillion cells that comprise the human body, resulting in possible cellular mutation. Most forms of cancer are cellular mutations.
Wood smoke is a complex mixture of chemical substances that has no intrinsic value for the human body or for the environment. All it has are toxins to poison people and pollute the air we need to breathe.
The Washington State Department of Ecology states wood smoke can harm the developing lungs of young children and exposure to wood smoke is linked to some stroke and heart problems.
Brie Oishi, Port Coquitlam
