PGAQ #5 by Vic Steblin, Jan 8, 2008

2570 Laurier Crescent, Prince George, BC, 250-564-1123

We recently bought some LED candles which simulate the light of real candles but without the smoke. Of course some actually prefer the smell of scented candles and go out of their way to make sure aromatic particles fill the room. It would probably take a long time to notice the harmful effect of candle smoke on health. There is one case of a death in an airtight room due to an aromatic candle.

How much does one candle affect the air quality of Prince George? How about a thousand candles? How much effect does one smoker have? How about a thousand smokers? How much does one wood burner affect our community? How about a thousand? How much does one industrial smoke stack affect our air? How about hundreds of significant sources within city limits?

According to a recent questionable report on air quality, backyard burning produces 7 tonnes of particulate per year while industry produces about 11 000 tonnes. This is an order of magnitude beyond comprehension to most people. What do we do with information like this? Should we just accept the obvious health hazards and thus avoid potential job losses? Is our health more important than jobs? Should we demand the latest and best smoke management practices on every stack no matter the cost or how many have to shut down?

Some mills have upgraded their electrostatic precipitators and have achieved significant reductions in their particulate output. These best practices can and should be done for every significant source. More of us should care about air quality and demand the best practices in air management and thus put health first!