September 12, 2008
RESPONSE FROM KSTP REPORTER MAGGIE NEWLAND
I wish I'd found you yesterday! Burnsville actually has very few of the devices (the city's trying to be proactive) and none of the neighbors who lived in the direct vicinity of the furnace wanted to talk to us. I will definitely keep you in mind for any follow-ups.
Thanks for writing!

Maggie Newland
Reporter
KSTP-TV
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS

To: Newland, Maggie
Subject: Outdoor wood furnace (or OWB) issue in Burnsville hits home for us.
Hi Maggie,
I watched with great interest your 09/11/08 story about outdoor wood furnaces (also called outdoor wood boilers, or OWB's) and potential regulation in Burnsville. I know you are on location for only a short time, and you have deadlines, so you had little opportunity to see an OWB in full operation. And unless you actually live in the vicinity of an OWB, it's very difficult to appreciate the large volume of smoke, the continuous burning smell, and other air quality issues caused by these devices. My husband and I have been living about 400 feet from an outdoor wood furnace for at least two years, and this Summer has been absolutely without exaggeration our WORST YEAR EVER of home ownership. Wood smoke can and will FILL the air and suddenly engulf us while outside, or blow in through our windows and fill the house in a matter of seconds. Depending on wind direction, this can go on for days or even weeks at a time, morning, noon or night. On still nights the carbon monoxide fog can hang in the air for hours, winter or summer. Yes, they burn ALL SUMMER LONG because most are used to heat water (a crude hot water heater). Short stacks, just 6 feet tall or so, means the smoke will often carry along the ground for hundreds or thousands of feet.

It's more than just a nuisance, it's a REAL health issue for many of us. I have asthma, and the wood boiler can spew every few hours, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The fire NEVER goes out, when it's not in high burn, it smolders the rest of the time, all day, every day of the year, and triggers an asthma attack if we keep our windows open. We run our air conditioner almost every day even when it's nice outside, to try and avoid the smoke. This has seen our energy bills raise dramatically (ironic, isn't it?) Hanging laundry on the line is also pointless because of the smell. We have neighbors who have even more severe health problems- from bronchitis to COPD to emphysema. I'm not saying this device caused our problems, but the constant smoke and smell certainly aggravates my symptoms as well as those of others living nearby. We only hope no one decides to put another one of these devices on the opposite side of our house, or we will be forced to move.

Unfortunately, because OWB's were not common when the EPA established rules for INDOOR wood burning back in the 1980's, manufacturers have made use of the loophole and have no incentive to make cleaner burning models. More OWB's have been sold in the last three years than all previous years combined, adding the equivalent of 400 cigarettes per hour of cancer causing particulate matter into the air. Is anyone doing anything about this? The EPA and other Federal agencies know they're a problem, but any new laws are 3-10 years away, depending who you talk to (!). Sales are said to be skyrocketing.

For our specific problem, we received calls from Chuck Stroebel, Research Scientist, Health Risk Assessment for the MN Dept of Health (good balanced source) as well as Spencer Pierce, Manager of Environmental Services for Anoka County. We also were emailed back by Anoka County Attorney Robert M.A. Johnson. They were all very helpful, but because wood burners/boilers aren't regulated, each passes the issue downward, from Fed to State to County to local (or a lawyer). So after a year of videotaping and photographing the problem, discussing it with neighbors, Oak Grove city administration, and just about anyone that will listen, we turned to the internet. We put together a web site to illustrate our problem to Oak Grove officials and City Council. We posted videos, photos, our letters to City Council, administration, local and state health officials. We have a page of links to solid studies by reputable organizations from the EPA to the MPCA and others which describe the serious health effects of the smoke. We have a blog where I vent steam about the boiler (no pun intended, really!)

If you do a follow up story about the Burnsville City Council's decision, or you'd like to do a story about what these devices are REALLY like when operating in a residential neighborhood, you are welcome to show "the other side of the story". The videos / photos are yours to use as you wish, as an example of the problems of OWB's. I know I've seen KSTP use Youtube videos, and we just posted two videos there in the last few days. So have other people across the country, and with the current energy price spikes, this could be the start of a big problem. So you can see why we watched your story with interest today, as we and many of our neighbors are living with the nightmare of an OWB puffing away in our neighborhood and we hope for the day when people understand what a problem these devices are for everyone living around them. Any attention you can bring to this matter would be greatly appreciated. We have the right to breathe clean air!

This is our web site we put together for Oak Grove City Council and administration to argue our case: http://www.freeinside.net
Thank you for your time,