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On An Act Concerning the Operation of Wood Stoves

Testimony

On raised Bill H.B. 6215 AN ACT CONCERNING THE OPERATION OF WOOD STOVES. That chapter 446c of the general statutes be amended to allow municipalities to regulate minimum stack height and frequency of operation of wood stoves.

Chairs Senator Bill Finch, Representative Richard Roy and Members of the Environment Committee:

My name is Nancy Alderman. I am President of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) a non-profit organization comprised of nine members who are doctors, public health professionals and policy experts dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms.

EHHI has been receiving calls for help from people from all over the state who are being harmed by wood smoke - and not just from neighbors’ wood stoves – but also from neighbors’ fireplaces. The state needs to do something to address this problem.

Wood smoke, although it conjures up feelings of New England warmth, is actually a carcinogen, having many of the same components as second hand cigarette smoke. For those suffering from asthma or other respiratory problems, it is a very harmful exposure. If one is exposed often from a neighbor’s wood smoke, bronchitis and pneumonia can often result.

What to do and how to regulate? First of all wood smoke is a pollutant – and if a person’s wood-burning causes the resulting wood-smoke to enter another person’s house so that that homeowners eyes burn, their throats get sore, and their breathing is affected, it should be against the law.

Connecticut has a history of protecting citizens from harmful smoke. People no longer are allowed to burn leaves outdoors or incinerate their trash – because that was found to be a health hazard.

Most chimneys on houses are high up and the wood burning does not bother neighbors. However, for some, it is not that way. We are living cheek by jowl and neighbors are not always willing to act in a neighborly or considerate way.

The state needs to step in and help these people – many of whom do not have the funds to hire lawyers to bring nuisance suits. After all, a person is not allowed to live in their home in a way that prevents a neighbor from living in their home – and yet that is what is happening to many people.

Although Bill 6215 starts to address the issue, simply by saying that there is an issue – it is not written broadly enough to protect the people in Connecticut who are being harmed.

The Bill needs to address both wood-burning stoves and fireplaces that pollute neighbors’ homes. The Bill needs to be amended to give local health departments greater specific powers concerning would-smoke as it affects neighbor’s homes. The amendment should not involve using detection equipment as smoke itself is visible and that should be the indicator.

Local health departments today do have the power under the public health “nuisance” code, but the wording needs to be strengthened so that it is more specific in addressing wood-smoke.

This needs to be done as soon as possible. We have real people getting real respiratory illnesses from their exposures to their neighbor’s wood-smoke.

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