Recordpub.com - Rules for outdoor fires are changing Burning garbage against the law

By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

Next time you light up that brush pile, scrap pile, or burn barrel you might be breaking the law. The rules changed earlier this year to more clearly identify what outdoor fires are allowed.

Changes allow burning for bonfires, ceremonial fires, campfires, firefighter training and horticultural and wildlife management practices, and outdoor fireplace equipment under certain conditions. The conditions include: fuel must be clean, seasoned firewood, natural gas or any clean burning fuel with emissions equivalent to or lower than those from seasoned firewood.

The fire also must not be used for garbage disposal and the fire fuel area can"t exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height.

Open fires also must be at least 1,000 feet from any neighbor"s residence. That cuts out a lot of rural area, said Bonetta K. Guyette, an environmental sanitarian with the Akron Regional Air Quality Management District.

Part of Guyette"s job is to inform people about open burning regulations, and to stop them when they violate those rules. That often means she has to tell people to put out a brush or leave fire -- something that was widely accepted just a few years ago.

"I explain the regulations and the health concerns and tell them "You need to put out the fire now,"" Guyette said. If they don"t comply, Guyette said she may be forced to call the local fire department, which can be a drain on local resources

Repeated violation of residential open burning rules can result in a $250 civil penalty, she said. Repeated offenses by commercial or industrial violators can result in a $1,000 a day penalty.

"I feel the biggest part of the job is education," Guyette said. She offers information on the rules and regulations, and alternatives on how to dispose of some items.

Some things may never be burned, including garbage; materials containing rubber, grease, asphalt or petroleum products such as tires, cars, auto parts, plastic-coated wire; and dead animals.

Within cities or villages, burning land-clearing waste and residential waste is not permitted.

In townships, land-clearing waste may be burned with prior written permission from the Ohio EPA. Residential waste -- which includes vegetation and wood or paper products -- may be burned but the fire must be more than a thousand feet from the nearest neighboring residence.

The danger in outside fires is that smoke and by-products of burning can lead to asthma attacks and other serious illnesses.

Burning household waste is one of the largest known sources of dioxin, a suspected carcinogen. Open burning also adds particulate, sulfur dioxide, lead and mercury to the air. These pollutants are linked to a number of health problems including asthma, respiratory problems, nervous system damage, kidney and liver damage and reproductive or developmental disorders, according to information put out by the OEPA.

"If you can smell it, you have ingested it," Guyette said. Inhalation is the number one pathway for pathogens to enter the body, she said.

"We breathe in 35 pounds of air a day, 70 pounds of air for kids," she said. "Every one of us is affected by poor air quality."