Seven facts for asthmatics concerning agricultural burning

Field burning west of
Eltopia, Washington

When agricultural businesses opt to burn waste in the state of Washington, asthmatics and those with other lung diseases are disproportionately affected. The smoke makes us sick, but there seem to be a lot of misconceptions surrounding the issue of agricultural burning. Is it always legal? What can I do if I am affected? Washington air quality laws have been in a state of revision, and the following seven facts should be of help -- and hope -- for asthmatics.

By law, in Washington State, those who contribute to pollution are required to share the job of protecting air quality. (Clean Air Act of 1991, Chapter 70.94 RCW). Here are seven facts from the Department of Ecology concering agricultural burning:.

Question 1: Franklin County has been declared a “right to farm” county. Doesn’t that mean that my neighbor has the right to burn his fields?

Fact 1: No. Not necessarily. As the state’s Air Quality web page notes: “While it is legal to burn for approved agronomic reasons with a permit, it is not legal to allow smoke to impact others.”

If your neighbor’s smoke is going to impact another neighbor, especially if is liable to make them ill, he may not burn.

Question 2: Are the revised laws picking on farmers?

Fact 2: No. The comprehensive revision of the state's air pollution laws “affects not just agriculture, but many other commercial, individual and governmental activities.”

Question 3: What about crop residues? Farmers say they need to reduce excess plant materials and hinder pest infestations.

Fact 3: They may burn crop residues if it is not impacting other people, but they must have a permit to burn.

Question 4: What about orchards? Is a permit required to burn pruning waste and old trees that must be removed?

Fact 4: Yes, one must obtain a permit for any and all agricultural burning, but one may not burn if that burning impacts others.

Question 5: I live where they grow cereal crops, wheat, barley, corn and oats. Can they burn stubble after harvest?  

Fact 5: As with all agricultural burning, they must obtain a permit to burn this waste, and they may not burn it if it impacts other people.

Question 6: How do I know whether it is a legal burn day?

Fact 6: “To help reduce smoke-related environmental and health concerns, the Department of Ecology's Eastern Washington Burn Team makes a daily burn/no-burn decision called the "burn call" for agricultural burning permit holders. The burn call provides daily current and forecasted air quality conditions and burn decisions to citizens. You can get burn call information at the daily burn call web site

Question 7: Who has the responsibility of protecting air quality in the state of Washington?

Answer 7: We all do, but those who burn have a special responsibility under the Clean Air Act. “The Clean Air Washington Act of 1991 (Chapter 70.94 RCW) states that those who contribute to air pollution will share the job of protecting air quality.”

Other information: Are there any liability issues for those burning for agronomic reasons so long as they have a permit?

Answer: One would think so. You may need to consult an attorney, but the Department of Ecology web site provides this warning to those who burn: “The agricultural burning of field crop residue and orchard tear-out residue can directly impact the safety and health of citizens breathing the smoke-filled air. It also states that they may not burn if it will impact others. See ‘Chapter 173-430 WAC – Agricultural Burning’ for more information.

Source: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/aginfo/dailyburncallpage.htm

Do you need to register a complaint about air quality? It’s easy! Go to this link: http://fcwaq.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-do-i-complain-about-air-pollution.html

Smokers may check out relief link

Smoking is associated with lung diseases that may be disabling or even deadly. Want to quit smoking?

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http://www.quitline.com

Franklin County, Washington is callous and flippant regarding lung disease

Franklin County's stiff necked "Law of the West" policies are injurious to asthmatics and people with other lung diseases, as I believe government studies have indicated repeatedly.

Thousands of acres of Franklin County land will no doubt be set ablaze soon. Wheat fields are burned to get rid of agricultural waste that could be considered beneficial biological by-products.

The excuse frequently given -- that there is no alterative to buring -- seems outlandish. Alternatives are within reach. Big cities, for example, commonly get the go ahead to spread municipal waste on rural lands in the name of composting (the presumed best use of "beneficial bi-product" -- the government's word for what you and I would call "shit."

But counties still can't figure out what to do with wheat stubble. Amazing.

Smoke from field burning in Franklin County, Washington is likely to be worse in 2011. The reason for this goes back to.earlier this year when the buzz was out that wheat prices might be headed upward this growing season; many farmers (including my neighbors) plowed under crops such as alfalfa, in favor of wheat.

When Franklin County farmers sow wheat, asthma patients reap physical disability, and even death.

Don't snort: The  association between particulate matter air pollution and premature morbidity and mortality rates are well well documented, as the Alaw article notes (See citation below.). 

"Morbidity" means a diseased state, disability, or poor health, and "mortality," of course, means death. So what this is saying is that increased particulate matter sickens and or kills folk: not all folk, thankfully, but enough of them to be a huge concern.

"But," someone might say, "Field burning doesn't put out enough particulate matter to be a realistic threat." Sadly, that response would be wrong.

I suspect that Franklin County doesn't want anyone to know exactly how much particulate matter the county's field-burning releases. Given the large amount, it will undoubtedly find its way to your lungs, if you live in this county. But is the smoke a mere nuisance? Read on to find out.


To find out just how much of a problem field burning is, we may have to rely on data from other places, say, Spokane. I think we can easily get an idea from Spokane's numbers, the amount of gunk that is going up in smoke in our county.

Here's the deal, according to alaw.org:

"During the 1995 season, the release of approximately 620 tons of particulates; 3,900 tons of carbon monoxide; and 750 tons of volatile organic compounds such as methane gas, formaldehyde, acrolein (which causes lung damage), and benzo-phyrene (a carcinogen) were a direct result of 11 days of grass field burning in Spokane County. Field burning contributes 17% of the particulate pollution and 8% of the volatile organic compounds present in Eastern Washington."

"Well, only 17 percent," someone might say. But again that response is off mark, because, as the article also notes:

"Though field burning takes place on a relatively few days of the year, the smoke produced is very intense due to the organic material burned and the number of acres torched. For example, during the 1995 burn season, 27,000 acres were burned within a three-day time period, creating smoke intrusion into surrounding communities."

The hazard of smoke (for asthmatics and other folk with lung disease) is dramatically increased due to the extreme concentration of the releases over relatively short amounts of time.

Comparing Spokane and Franklin County
 According to http://www.bluefish.org/wheatfax.htm, Franklin County in 1997 harvested 118,300 acres of wheat. The same web site reported Spokane as harvesting 114,000 acres of wheat. In other words, and if I understand this correctly, Franklin County, if anything, may have more wheat under cultivation than Spokane. So, similar numbers might apply to Franklin County as well.

Field burning produces an incredible amount of concentrated smoke, especially if a temperature inversion occurs, keeping the smoke at or near ground level for, sometimes, weeks at a time. And the smoke doesn't stay put. So far as I am concerned, it is too bad that the owners/producers of this toxic material don't have to breathe it all themselves. Instead it seeps into your kitchen and into your bedroom, and the wind blows it around the earth, dispersing it. But it doesn't really go "away," where ever "away is." It always goes to someone else's back yard.

The present policy is cruel and irresponsible at best, and we may some day find that it was illegal all along.

One hates to accuse Franklin County of being hard-hearted toward people with lung disease, but I think the county's own web page shows incredible callousness with its flippant remarks aimed at the very people their policies are harming. As evidence I quote

http://www.co.franklin.wa.us/planning/agriculture.html, which admits the following:

"Land preparation causes dust, farmers burn their fields, grain growers burn stubble," and it goes on to say, "This burning creates smoke that you may find objectionable."

As to airborne chemicals Franklin County admits:  "You may be sensitive to these substances and many people actually have severe allergic reactions."

Franklin County's "Law of the West" policy goes out of its way to explain elementary and obvious facts, such as, "manure can cause objectionable odors" (Gee, I wouldn't have known that.)

But the real kicker for me is when it follows up with this official sounding legal advice: "Washington State protects farmers and ranchers from nuisance and liability lawsuits."

Oh really? Well, that remains to be seen doesn't it.

Asthma affects a surprisingly large population, and statistics reveal how tragic county policy is: Something like ten to fifteen percent of our people have reported some degree of asthma. We are not a marginal few patients, and our numbers are growing and, in my opinion, can be expected to grow even more as the state continues to downgrade the importance of maintaining air quality. I offer this opinion, that vested interests really don't care how much the EPA goes on and on about their charts and figures, flow charts and data, so long as nobody does anything about the problem.

We, the gasping people, are not a few, and we are not weak politically. All we lack is the will to fight back. It's hard to fight when you can't breathe; I know this from personal experience, But some day, when enough of us have been killed or made ill, perhaps we will rise up and prevail. I can always hope.

Copyright information: This article is the sole property of (me) the author: F. Ellsworth Lockwood. I hereby authorize anyone to cite this article in full or in part provided they cite the author as the source.