Clearing

The Air

To the Editor:

As the owner of Black Swan Hearth & Gift, a local family-owned business of 28 years, I feel compelled to respond to a recent letter to the editor regarding wood burning.

The fact is that wood burning appliances are now clean and getting cleaner. Also, properly vented and serviced combustion appliances should not be allowing leakage of exhaust gases into the living space of a house.

Since 1986, the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association has worked with the EPA to establish a maximum standard for allowable emissions. Any wood stove sold today must be EPA approved and cannot exceed 7.5 grams of smoke per hour at the top of the chimney. A non-EPA approved stove can produce as much as 40 grams of smoke per hour. By comparison a cigarette produces approximately 0.5 grams of smoke per hour. Most stoves today are allowing 2.5 to 3.5 grams of smoke, or less, to exit the stove per hour.

I encourage everyone to visit HPBA.org and look into the “stove change outs” that have been primarily industry driven to improve air quality in residential areas. The results of the success of this program in Crested Butte, Colo., Libby, Mont., and other areas are outstanding.

My family and I, as well as our staff, are proud to be members of an industry that has a strong history of voluntarily working with regulatory agencies toward the continuing improvement of everyone’s environment.

Thank you for your time.

Tom Swan

Black Swan Hearth & Gift

182 South Main Street, Newtown                          November 7, 2006