Keep wood smoke issue in perspective

I would like to add my two (common) cents to the wood burning debate.

How many households are there that actually have wood burning stoves or fireplaces? Somehow, I think that the actual number is very small.

Is this the reason this is becoming an issue now? I think so. Natural gas is a clean burning fuel, but so is a properly burning fire.

A fire that has proper combustion puts out a lot of heat and does not produce the visible smoke that is often seen and complained of.

Natural gas is not a renewable fuel source. It is far more expensive than wood.

Are there some people who don't know how to properly use a fireplace or misuse it? Sure, just like anything else in this world. Whether it's a driver who loses control of their vehicle, or a person of trust who violates that trust, or a person who uses sick days when they are not sick. A couple of bad apples don't ruin the crop.

Mr. Dubinski, how many automobiles do you have in your household and do you drive to work or take public transportation, or better yet walk to work?

How many chemical vapor producing items do you have in your house? If you are like the average household, your household alone emits more cancer causing, ozone depleting, noxious fumes than multiple fireplaces do.

Let's keep things in perspective.

Richard A. Christensen

Mount Prospect