Ottauquechee Conservation District

Hot Topics:

Open burning and Outdoor Wood Burning Boilers

Philip Etter, Agency of Natural Resources Oct. 26, 2005

Discussion

• Open burning rules: What can I burn?• When is it best to burn?• Why be concerned about open burning?• Release of toxic chemicals• Outdoor wood boilers (OWBs)• Current OWB rule• Proposed OWB rule• History and discussion about OWBs

• Subchapter I. Definitions • 5-101(37) "Forest Land Area" means at least 25 acres of

land that is at least 10% stocked with trees of any size.• 5-101(44) "Garbage" -- waste resulting from distribution,

preparation and serving of food.• 5-101(66) "Natural Wood" -- for the purposes of these

regulations, natural wood means trees, including logs, boles, trunks, branches, limbs, and stumps, lumber including timber, logs or slabs, especially when dressed for use. This definition shall also include pallets which are used for the shipment of various materials so long as such pallets are not chemically treated with any preservative, paint, or oil. This definition shall not extend to other wood products such as sawdust, plywood, particle board and press board.

• 5-101(70) "Open Burning" -- the burning of any type of combustible material in the open where the products of combustion are emitted directly into the ambient air space without passing through a stack, chimney, or other enclosure. Burning shall include ignition, permitting or causing ignition and suffering, allowing or maintaining burning.

• Subchapter II. Prohibitions• 5-201OPEN BURNING PROHIBITED• (1) No person shall engage in any open

burning except in conformity with the provisions of Section 5-201, 5-202, and 5-203.

• (2) No person shall cause, suffer, allow or permit the open burning of garbage, tires, rubber, plastic, waste oil, asphalt materials, materials containing asbestos, or pressure treated wood, except as may be allowed under subsections (3) and (7) of Section 5-202

5-202 PERMISSIBLE OPEN BURNING

• When not prohibited by local ordinances or officials having jurisdiction such as local, state or federal fire wardens or other fire prevention officials, the following types of burning are permissible, provided no public or private nuisance is created.

• (1) Natural wood fires in conjunction with holiday and festive celebrations.

• (2) Campfires, outdoor grills, and fireplaces for recreation or preparing of food.

Fire Training

• (3) Burning of solid or liquid fuels or structures for the purpose of bona fide instruction and training of municipal, volunteer, and industrial firefighters in the methods of fighting fires when conducted under the direct control and supervision of qualified instructors. Said firefighters shall be residents of the State of Vermont or affiliated with the mutual aid systems within the State of Vermont. Notification by the fire training officer or the fire chief of the training exercise shall be made to the Air Pollution Control Officer on prescribed forms at least 14 days prior to the exercise.

Permissible Burning Continued

• (4) Burning in forest land areas of brush, tree cuttings and slash when the cuttings accrue from logging or site clearing operations.

• (5) Burning for the purpose of weed abatement; disease, forest fire and pest prevention or control; and for the purpose of agricultural, forestry or wildlife habitat management.

• (6) On-premise burning of leaves, brush, deadwood, or tree cuttings accrued from normal property maintenance by the owner, his or her agent, or lessee thereof.

Burning: Air Pollution PermitRequired

• (7) Open burning, as follows, if prior approval in writing is obtained from the Air Pollution Control Officer. Approvals granted under this subsection shall be subject to such reasonable conditions as are necessary to avoid a nuisance or to protect the health, safety or comfort of the public. The requirement for approval in writing may be waived by the Air Pollution Control Officer and oral approval may be granted instead when, in his or her judgement, the impacts of the burning will be insignificant.

Burning: Air Pollution PermitRequired

• (a) Burning in remote areas, of highly explosive or other dangerous, or unusual materials for which there is no other feasible method of disposal.

• (b) Burning in remote areas of natural wood resulting from the construction or demolition of buildings and other structures originating from within the State.

• (c) Fires to thwart a hazard which cannot properly be managed by any other means or that are necessary for the protection of public health.

• (d) Burning of other combustible materials for which there is no other feasible method of disposal.

Demolition MaterialAir Pollution Permit Required

Why Are We Concerned

• Open burning causes wildfires

• Open burning causes nuisance to neighbors and is particularly bad for children and elderly

• Open burning releases toxins into the environment causing health and environmental problems

Toxins Released By Open Burning

• Fine particulate matter

• Sulfur dioxide• Carbon monoxide• PAHs• Chlorobenzenes• Metals• Dioxins

Toxic Effects of Dioxins

• Lethality

• Wasting

• Gonadal/Lymphoid Atrophy

• Hyperplasia

• Metaplasia

• Endocrine disruption

• Carcinogenicity

• Reproductive/ Developmental toxicity

• Dermal toxicity• Immunotoxicity• Neurotoxicity• Hepatic toxicity• Cardiovascular

toxicity

Multiple effects in multiple tissues of both sexes of multiple species throughout the

vertebrate kingdom

Inventory of Sources of Dioxin in the United States-May, 2000

1987 Emissions (g TEQdf-

WHO98/yr)

1995 Emissions (g TEQdf-

WHO98/yr)

2002/4 Emissions (g TEQdf-

WHO98/yr)

Municipal Solid Waste Incineration, air 8877.0 1250.0 12.0Backyard Barrel Burnning, air 604.0 628.0 628.0Medical Waste Incineration, air 2590.0 488.0 7.0Secondary Copper Smelting, air 983.0 271.0 5.0Cement Kilns (haz waste), air 117.8 156.1 7.7Sewage Sludge/land applied, land 76.6 76.6 76.6Residential Wood Burning, air 89.6 62.8 62.8Coal-fired Utilities, air 50.8 60.1 60.1Diesel Trucks, air 27.8 35.5 35.5Secondary Aluminum Smelting, air 16.3 29.1 29.12,4-D, land 33.4 28.9 28.9Iron Ore Sintering, air 32.7 28.0 28.0Industrial Wood Burning, air 26.4 27.6 27.6Bleached Pulp and Paper Mills, water 356.0 19.5 12.0Cement Kilns (non-haz waste), air 13.7 17.8 17.8Sewage Sludge Incineration, air 6.1 14.8 14.8EDC/Vinyl chloride, air NA 11.2 11.2Oil-fired Utilities, air 17.8 10.7 10.7Crematoria, air 5.5 9.1 9.1Unleaded Gasoline, air 3.6 5.9 5.9Hazardous Waste Incineration, air 5.0 5.8 3.5Lightweight ag kilns, haz waste,air 2.4 3.3 0.4Kraft Black Liquor Boilers, air 2.0 2.3 2.3Petrol Refine Catalyst Reg., air 2.2 2.2 2.2Leaded Gasoline, air 37.5 2.0 2.0Secondary Lead Smelting, air 1.2 1.7 1.7Paper Mill Sludge, land 14.1 1.4 1.4Cigarette Smoke, air 1.0 0.8 0.8EDC/Vinyl chloride, land NA 0.7 0.7EDC/Vinyl chloride, water NA 0.4 0.4Boilers/industrial furnaces, air 0.8 0.4 0.4Tire Combustion , air 0.1 0.1 0.1Drum Reclamation, air 0.1 0.1 0.1TOTALS 13,995 3,252 1,106 Percent Reduction from 1987 77% 92%

2000 Draft Estimate: ~ 65 pg TEQDFP-WHO98/day

21%16%

19%

14%

5%

4%

7%

6%

1%

Soil ingestionSoil dermal contact

Freshwater fish andshellfish

Marine fish and shellfish

Inhalation

Milk

Dairy

Eggs

Beef

Pork

Poultry

Other meats Vegetable fat

Adult Average Daily Intake of CDDs/CDFs/Dioxin-like PCBs

Dioxin Uptake Into Meat And Dioxin Uptake Into Meat And DairyDairy

Outdoor Wood Boilers

• What are they?

• Outdoor Waterstove means any individual hand-fed furnace designed to burn wood and used for the purpose of heating water where the furnace is located outside the structure into which the hot water produced thereby is piped.

Outdoor Water Boiler:

How Do OWB’s Work?

• Large fireboxes surrounded by water jackets

• Water is heated to about 180 degrees F

• Then the air supply is cut-off

• The hot water is circulated into the house through underground piping

• When the water temperature drops the air supply is opened-up again

Outdoor Wood-fired Boiler:

Current OWB Regulation

• Not allowed to install OWB within 200 feet of neighbor’s residence

• If OWB is within 500 of a neighbor’s residence, the stack must be higher than the peak of the roof of the OWB owner’s house

• Dealers must notify OWB buyers of the rules and have them sign a form which must be sent to the Air Division

OWB with very tall stack

The Need For OWB Regulation

• Excessive smoke from OWBs causes local nuisance and potential health impacts

• OWBs are very inefficient causing more wood to be used draining forest resources

• Need to move toward increase efficiency rather than poorer efficiency

• An increase in OWB use will contribute to the fine particulate loading we all breath

This slide and the following three are from the New York State Attorney General’s Report: “Smoke Get In Your Lungs: Outdoor Wood Boilers in New York State”.

Proposed OWB Rule

• Prohibits the sale or distribution of OWBs unless they comply with a standard of 0.2 grains per dscf of exhaust gas corrected to 12% carbon dioxide.

• Manufacturers are responsible for having the units tested and for informing the dealers which models may be sold for use in Vermont.

CONTACT SHEET for Air Pollution Control Division

Address: Air Pollution Control Division

Department of Environmental Conservation

Agency of Natural Resources

103 South Main Street, 3 South

Waterbury, Vermont 05671-0402

Web Page: http://www.anr.state.vt.us/air

Toll Free Line: 888-520-4879

Phone Number (general) 802-241-3840

Fax Number: 802-241-2590

Philip Etter, Environmental Analyst: 802-241-3847 or

email: phil.etter@state.vt.us

Richard A. Valentinetti, Director, APCD

Harold Garabedian, Deputy Director, APCD