How bad will our air be tonight? (E-mail to Councillors sent June 25)

Today the Air Quality Health Index forecasts  a "moderate risk" reading of 4 all around Woodstock: London, Brantford, Kitchener, and Guelph.  See it at:
www.airqualityontario.com
How many homes in Woodstock will light their fire pits this evening...dozens? hundreds?
How bad will our local air be?
Given that wood smoke pollutes the air the length of a couple of football fields around each fire, how many vulnerable people will be exposed to dangerous levels of pollutants?
How many infants?
How many kids with asthma?
How many seniors with heart conditions?
How many people with COPD?
These are some of the most vulnerable populations, but of course wood smoke, like second-hand tobacco smoke, is bad for everyone.
What credibility does Woodstock have on ANY health or environmental issue, when you allow open air burning?
As always, I would appreciate an acknowledgement that you have read this.
Thanks for your attention.

REPLIES: Jerry Acchione, Sandra Talbot

E-mail to Woodstock Councillors, sent Friday June 24, 2016

I hope that you have read my latest UR opinion piece on the Sentinel Review's website (Too bad about Clean Air Day), and that you took time to consider the excerpts from the UPHE.

You are probably aware that there was a Special Air Quality Statement issued for much of southern Ontario including Oxford County on Sunday June 19.  I trust that you are familiar with www.airqualityontario.com.

I have two questions for you today:

1) When our background air pollution is typically in the 3-5 range on the AQHI, to what level might the index rise near a burning fire pit?

2) Officials are held accountable when local water supplies are poisoned (e.g. Walkerton, Flint  Michigan).  Why is poisoning of the air different?
(Remember that most open air burning is prohibited under the Ontario Fire Code, and that fire pits are legal in Woodstock only because the previous Council passed a by-law in 2013.)

As always, I would be pleased to hear back from you.

I hope that you enjoy your weekend, and that you have clean air to breathe.

NO REPLIES RECEIVED.