Backyard fire pits add to already poor air quality (Pittsburgh: live in, suburbs)

[prnlvsxy]

I say grab a hot dog put it on a stick and cook it over the fire! There's nothing better than a hot dog cooked over an open wood fire!!

[Gypsy3n8]

Originally Posted by Gerania

On the other hand, those people probably burn wood, too.

Among other things. We have a neighbor who loves to burn wet leaves (smoke), green grass clippings (more smoke), and any kind of paper/plastic that comes out of his house. This butthole has also been guilty of burning asphalt shingles, carpet and foam padding, and furniture. Yes, I called the police.


Another neighbor behind owns an auction house and instead of donating unsold furniture from estate sales would bring it home and have a 15 foot tall bonfire in his field, right behind the back of our house. Called the DEP on him because bringing business waste to a residential area is a violation.


So the little backyard fire pits and chimineas are ok by me.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Originally Posted by Gypsy3n8

Among other things. We have a neighbor who loves to burn wet leaves (smoke), green grass clippings (more smoke), and any kind of paper/plastic that comes out of his house. This butthole has also been guilty of burning asphalt shingles, carpet and foam padding, and furniture. Yes, I called the police.


Another neighbor behind owns an auction house and instead of donating unsold furniture from estate sales would bring it home and have a 15 foot tall bonfire in his field, right behind the back of our house. Called the DEP on him because bringing business waste to a residential area is a violation.


So the little backyard fire pits and chimineas are ok by me.

Ahhh...good ole redneck burning...that’s not recreational, that’s just being cheap and dumb.

[Tractor Face]

We have a fire pit but I make sure we burn only leftover lumber, when its around. It's so dry that there is very little smoke. I do it because I don't want to bother my neighbors in case they happen to be hyper-sensitive that evening. Then again, it could be a bit fun to douse a Cub Scouts camp fire, just to see tears of sadness in the little fellows eyes as opposed to those caused by the smoke and carcinogens.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Gypsy3n8

Among other things. We have a neighbor who loves to burn wet leaves (smoke), green grass clippings (more smoke), and any kind of paper/plastic that comes out of his house. This butthole has also been guilty of burning asphalt shingles, carpet and foam padding, and furniture. Yes, I called the police.


Another neighbor behind owns an auction house and instead of donating unsold furniture from estate sales would bring it home and have a 15 foot tall bonfire in his field, right behind the back of our house. Called the DEP on him because bringing business waste to a residential area is a violation.


So the little backyard fire pits and chimineas are ok by me.

I have a feeling this is not a local post and was a response from way outside of Pittsburgh. Don't think we can get away with burning plastic around here.

[captainmidnight]

I'll just burn stuff in my house then and when my house catches fire, yours probably will too

[ben young]

Originally Posted by cjburgh

It's a growing issue in our neighborhood: already poor quality air is now hit with a haze of stinking wood smoke from backyard fire pits. There are undisputed health hazards - wood smoke is considerably more toxic than second hand tobacco smoke - and creates significant risks to individuals with respiratory illnesses.

There is no safe place or time of year that vulnerable people can avoid this pollution. Open fire pits expose people to even more pollution than a fireplace or tobacco smoke. (Each fire will emit close to one pound of smoke pollution, with 90% being in the deadly smaller than one micron range.)

What we know about the dangers of tobacco smoke applies to wood smoke. In fact, wood smoke is chemically active in the body 40 times longer than tobacco smoke. It is also 12 times more carcinogenic than tobacco smoke.

It seems foolish to consider wood fires as a lifestyle enhancement. Users of these devices are making an selfish choice that their neighbors are expected to put up with. The perception is that these are perfectly legal and desirable lifestyle-enhancing devices.

Given Pittsburgh's already terrible air quality, I think it's time to contact our elected representatives and start pushing to get backyard fire pits outlawed.

You must be fun to live near .

[fat lou]

Originally Posted by cjburgh

You might feel differently if you lived in a neighborhood where the houses are very close together. It's inconsiderate and selfish. Of course there are people who still think cigarette smoking should be allowed in public spaces--all about their personal freedom!

Let me guess where you live: Lawrenceville. I've heard about newcomers complaining about people's fire pits. Yuppies have to whine about everything.

[PGH423]

And for the record, most of our region has good air quality. It is mainly the lower elevation spots in the city and near major roadways in the suburbs where there is poor air quality, though most of this is comparable to other similar areas in the US. You can see some interesting data on air quality in the map below. You can type an address in the search bar to find the air quality there.

https://breatheproject.org/pollution-map/

[gg]

Originally Posted by PGH423

And for the record, most of our region has good air quality. It is mainly the lower elevation spots in the city and near major roadways in the suburbs where there is poor air quality, though most of this is comparable to other similar areas in the US. You can see some interesting data on air quality in the map below. You can type an address in the search bar to find the air quality there.

https://breatheproject.org/pollution-map/

We don't have "good air quality". Come on, we have horrible air in Pittsburgh and some say it is the WORST in the country. Might as well live in Xingtai.

Pittsburgh's air quality among worst in nation, study says | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette