Burning of wood, plastics, paint and rubber releases toxic substances

By Julie TurnerrnOsoyoos Times

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) is taking the air quality issue seriously.
A new Open Air Burning Bylaw will be coming into effect soon for some areas, and there is an Air Quality Management Plan in the draft stages.
Air quality is a concern for all residents of the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, as these regions often experience weather systems called inversions, which trap air contaminants and harm human health, visibility and the environment.
Smoke seriously impacts health. There is a particulate matter in wood smoke that will get past the nose hair and reach the deepest parts of the lungs and stay there, says RDOS Air Quality Committee Co-ordinator Janice Johnson.
She adds wood smoke contains over 100 toxic substances, and the burning of plastics in the rural areas is a huge problem. Children and those with respiratory or heart conditions are most vulnerable.
Recently, an east Osoyoos resident noticed workers at a construction site burning leftover creosote-treated wood pilings which created plumes of black smoke for several hours. He informed Johnson, who in turn informed the Town of Osoyoos and the Ministry of Environment.
In such cases, a conservation officer for Ministry of Environment will investigate and determine if the activity was carried out without knowledge of the regulations. If this is the case, they are issued a warning and are left with a pamphlet. The officer will also determine if charges should be laid.
Johnson says municipalities should get tougher with developers when it comes to having them deal with their waste. She suggests charging developers a fee, which could be reimbursed when developers show proof their waste has been brought to the land fill.
Developers and individuals alike need to have some kind of accountability. Any environmental fees developers would pay would be passed on to the purchaser, anyway; it would be no burden to them.rnMayor John Slater says the Town does have rules about building waste. It has to be disposed of appropriately and burning is not one of them. There are provincial laws regarding burning of certain materials, and creosote timbers are certainly not allowed to be burned, he says.
As of April 15, a burning permit will be required before burning can take place in the fire protection areas of Kaleden, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Tulameen and Willowbrook. There are no plans yet for a similar bylaw in Osoyoos and area.
For a fee of $30, and approval from the local fire chief, a permit will be issued which will allow a person up to four burns per year on days when the venting index is good, or conditions are acceptable for burning. The bylaw's aims are to reduce emissions from open burning and to eliminate the burning of garbage.
Orchardists who burn their wood waste should also choose to do so on days when the venting index is in the good range. Johnson says on-site chipping is cost prohibitive for the average farmer. But she says burning wood waste needs to be done with minimal smoke so as not to affect residents' health. Wood smoke is serious enough, she adds, but tossing painted wood, garbage, plastics and old tires into a fire sends cancer causing compounds into the air.
I call it the silent, slow poison. The poison falls back on the land, on plants we or animals eat, and in our water supply. Plus, we are breathing it in.
The Central and North Okanagan Regional Districts have allocated funds to have on-site chipping in their areas, free of charge to farmers.
Osoyoos land fill could be encouraged to drop tipping fees on stumps or all wood waste now that they are chipping. RDOS has not budgeted for an on-site agriculture chipping program but we are hoping this will change.
Johnson says she would also like to see the burning period change from October - April to April and May, because of the increased number of good venting days in those months. The months of November through February have fewer good venting days. She adds that ideally wood waste should be cured a minimum of six to eight months, and by waiting until April and May to burn, orchard wood cut in the fall would have time to cure. In the Central Okanagan, farmers must dry their wood for two years before burning it.
An Air Quality Management Plan has been drafted by the RDOS to address burning, vehicle emissions and dust. The plan will serve as a document to guide decision-makers in implementing policies. The district is requesting public input by May 1 as the plan will be presented at its next meeting May 10. It is expected to be adopted in June.
Area A Director Mark Pendergraft says the RDOS needs to work towards making chipping a more viable option for Osoyoos. Overall, he called the management plan a step in the right direction.
The number to call to report an illegal burn (materials such as plastics, tires, treated or painted wood) or someone burning on a poor venting day, is 1-877-952-7277. Johnson suggests also contacting the local fire department.
We live in a valley community, where many days pollution stays right where we live and breathe. There are solutions. We all have to look at the way we're doing things and put programs in place to deal with our air quality, Johnson says.

[b]On the banned burn list:[/b]

To prevent the release of dangerous toxins, the following materials must not be burned:rn¢Construction/renovation materials including drywall, tar paper, paint and paint products, asphalt and asphalt products and treated lumberrn¢ Demolition, domestic, special and biomedical wastern¢ Tires and rubberrn¢ Plasticsrn¢ Railway tiesrn¢ Manurern¢ Fuel and lubricant containersrnFor daily recording of venting index call toll-free Monday to Friday through Enquiry BC at 1-800-663-7867.