Minister of Environment Chester Gillan is asking Islanders to help protect public health and air quality by not burning household garbage in backyard barrels.
"Besides being inconsiderate to neighbours, burning garbage in old barrels or even wood stoves is a health risk, particularly to Islanders who have asthma or other respiratory problems," said Minister Gillan. "The majority of air pollution in Prince Edward Island is the result of pollutants carried here by weather patterns from other areas of Canada and the United States. However, Islanders who burn garbage contribute to incidents of poor air quality and worsen conditions on hot, smoggy days."
Minister Gillan noted that the Environmental Protection Act Air Quality Regulations prohibit the burning of waste such as rubber, plastic and treated wood. Old barrels, wood stoves and furnaces do not reach high enough temperatures to destroy many of the dangerous chemicals created when these materials are burned, he explained. Instead, they smolder and smoke, releasing harmful air pollutants, ash and dense smoke. The air contaminants released depend on the materials being burned and the conditions of the fire. For example, waste from treated wood may release arsenic, while certain plastics may release hydrogen chloride gas.
The pollutants generated from open burning of garbage may cause irritation of the nose, throat and skin, wheezing, coughing and breathing difficulties; tightness of the chest; and worsening of existing lung and heart problems. Vicki Bryanton, executive director of the PEI Lung Association, said that makes open burning a serious concern for the one in four Islanders who suffer from asthma and other respiratory conditions like emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
"The next time someone considers burning garbage, we ask them to consider that they could be affecting the health of an elderly neighbour, children down the road – even their own family members," said Ms. Bryanton. "The Waste Watch system provides a safe and convenient way for Islanders to dispose of all their household waste. We ask people to take advantage of this service and avoid open burning."
Environment Canada issued one air quality and health advisory for Prince Edward Island so far this summer. On that occasion in late June, a flow of air from the southwest carried smog out of the northeastern United States. That, combined with a record temperature, prompted the warning throughout the Maritimes.
For more information on improving the air you breathe or information on living with lung disease, contact the Lung Association at 1-888-566-5864, e-mail info@pei.lung.ca, or visit the Web site at www.lung.ca. To find out more about the Environmental Protection Act Air Quality Regulations, call the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment at (902) 368-5047. The daily smog forecast and other information about air quality can be found online at www.gov.pe.ca/go/smog.