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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1982)
îh v r» Jonwory 7 1*82 i&ec 2) SANDY (O r« .) POST — I l Wood stove Willamette Valley’s top polluter The wood stove is at the peak of its popularity this century But it gets low marks from an Oregon State University engineer who has headed the university's Air Resources Center since 1979 and who is a former president of the interna tional Air Pollution Control Association Richard W Boubel said that the wood stove, and not the automobile, is the number one air polluter in the Willamette Valley, and in many other parts of the country “ The emissions that come from a smoldering wood stove fire definitely are hazards to human health." he points out. “ But the question, of course, is how serious is the hazard’’ Is it a hazard to one person out of a million, or one out of a hundred, or one out of ten? Time will tell.” Research conducted last year at OSU by Boubel and David C. Junge, then direc tor of the u niversity’s E n e rg y R esearch and Developm ent In s titu te , showed “ s ig n ific a n t lev els” of polynuclear organic materials (PO M ) given off by burning wood and bark residue fuels “ POMs are the reason the surgeon general of the United States ordered w ar ning labels to be put on cigarettes,” Boubel noted “ POMs are generally con sidered to be the most po te n t c a n c e r ca u s in g materials that are emitted into the environment. And the compounds given off in to the air from wood stoves are the same as found in sm o k in g c ig a r e tte s . They're common to all combustion ’’ Fireplaces add to Valley air pollution woes, accor ding to Boubel, but are "not nearly as bad as wood stoves “ T h e p o p u la r wood stoves b eing sold to d a y —p a rtic u la rly the airtight types—are heavy emitters of pollutants, not just POMs but also carbon monoxide and particulates < solid bits of material in the a ir), and just plain smoke that is irritating to many people ” Wood stoves h ave become major sources of air pollution in Portland and M e d fo rd , Boubel observed, but the problem extends to other cities m the Valley and to the W illamette Valley as a whole." Boubel believes “ We re dealing essential ly with an uncontrollable source because the Depart ment of Environm ental Quality right now has no regulations concerning wood burning stoves in residences,” the engineer said. “ Design control” may be the best possibility, Boubel said This would require stoves sold in the state to be certified as acceptable to DEQ, which handles air p o llu tio n m a tte r s in Oregon “ I t ’s essentially what we have done with cars,” Boubel explained “ An automobile to be sold here has to be acceptable in terms of meeting certain em is sio n s ta n d a rd s Naturally, manufacturers aren't happy about this sort of thing It puts the burden of proof on them, increases their costs, and puts the product under constant scrutiny “ But public welfare, the good of all, must be con sid ered .” Boubel said “ And some sorts of con trols appear appropriate for wood stoves because of the health hazards involved plus the im p o s s ib le n e g a tiv e im p a c t on e s ta b lis h m e n t of new businesses and industry. “ I t ’s possible. ’ Boubel explain ed , “ th at wood stove emissions could put pollution at such a level that no air dilution capaci ty would be left for new businesses that could pro vide jobs but that would have to operate under such strict emission controls that meeting them would be nearly impossible, or at least impractical, for the industry ” DEQ is in essentially a "no win or Catch 22" situa tion. Boubel believes Wood, of course, is a renewable energy source In the past there has been an abundance of forest slash or w aste wood residue It has been cheap and accessible. But things are changing. Boubel said. The amount of free wood that can be cut is relatively limited now and the supply is steadily shrinking. Boubel doubts that pay ing 1100 a cord for wood is a wise buy “ I t ’s less effi cient than other fuels, is becoming in short supply, and it has the air pollution concerns as well ” Even the costs of so-called free wood need to be examined in terms of travel and time factors, he suggested The kind of wood being burned is not as critical as the moisture content of the wood, Boubel observed " If you get real wet wood, it tends to smoke more and burn slower with more emissions Dry wood burns with a hotter fire and you have less pollution," he ad ded The fa m e d wood cookstove of early days smoked up things but it was designed to get hot quickly, making the combustion of the wood relatively com plete. The new airtight wood stoves are designed to b u rn on low temperatures for a long time This sort of wood bur ning is convenient but inef ficient and leads to heavy emissions of hazardous materials Boubel sees a solution for all of the wood fuel pro b le m s , in c lu d in g pollutants, in centralized systems where wood is burned in the big fu r naces—boilers that permit emission controls “ The city of Eugene is well known for its en vironmental concerns and its battles with field burn ing What is less well known is that the major p o rtio n of d ow ntow n Eugene is heated by steam generated in a central wood fired boiler system Businesses buy steam for heating at reasonable costs while pollution is kept In check at the same time with the efficient central systems ” England is discovering the same joys of a central produce, grocery, non-food! CHOPS steam generation system, according to Boubel In the movie “ Mary Pop- pins" much attention was paid to chimney sweeps who provided an essential public service because one residence might have a half dozen chimneys serv ing flats or individual apartments on separate floors “ Now, Britain has been forced to move to central heating facilities and flats h ave th e m o s ta ts and meters that record steam use, but no stoves or fireplaces People seem ingly are warmer, happier and air pollution is in check, it is reported Condominiums are a natural for such central wood b o ile r h e a tin g . Boubel reports. Aspen. Colo., for a time prohibited wood burning devices in housing units, he noted MEMBER OF UNITED GROCERS, INC. P R IC F Q F F F F C T IV F JANUARY 6th THROUGH 12th, 1982 USDA CHOICE BONELESS LEWIS BROTHERS ARMOUR VERI-BEST ROAST $ 718 CENTER CUT RIB (A ID b M U U L U tH L U I , U SUA L N U I l t Lamb Roast STEAK Ct BONELESS $ LB .i ‘ CE 48 lb * 2 8 RIB CUT. USDA CHOICE « SHOULDER CUT. USDA CHOICE C A 38 Lamb C hops........... lb * 3 Lamb Chops........... lb 9 o 2’ £ ■ ■ Country Style Spare Ribs FINEST $■158 QUALITY PORK LB 1 LB BEEF USDA CHOICE BONE-IN ROUND STEAK ..’ 2 ” GROUND BEEF 1“ "LEAN" Not To Exceed 25% Fat e „ Cube S te a k .............. LB$2 4fl FROZEN ta O il Turbot Fillet lb S1 38 USDA CHOICE BONELESS r - QQ Chuck Steak lbs 1 98 Sirloin End Pork Roast FINEST q 38 QUALITY LB D elicatessen S electio ns Ball Park 16oz. Franks S ■ w 5 w 9 HYGRADE’S ALL MEAT OR ALL BEEF I Asst’d. Sliced Lunchmeat C «4 fl O A | U HYGRADE’S 12 OUNCE PACKAGE $ American Sliced Cheese WESTERN FAMILY PROCESSED. 12 OZ. SINGLES $-159 Grapefruit or Orange Juice $ -1 7 9 KRAFT CHILLED 64 OUNCE HACIENDA, RED & GREEN CHILI, RED HOT 10 OZ. ASSORTEO BURRITOS SHREDDED CHEESE 88 GRATED PARMESAN OVER $100 SAVED! WITH EACH FILLED SAVER SHIELD CARD Y 1” ft /w KRAFT 3 OUNCE CHEESE OVER 2,070,000 FILLED CARDS & OVER 12,420,000 SAVER SHIELDS ISSUED IN '81 TO SENTRY SHOPPERS, AVERAGING: DOC e SARGENTO MOZZ.. CHEDDAR. 8 OZ. BIGGER SAVINGS WITH MORE SAVER SHIELD SPECIALS” I A ^ADAM’S CREAMY. CRUNCHY Peanut Butter $- <6 o z POST 24 OZ. CEREAL Grape Nuts 88 $- 68 WESTERN FAMILY, MT., M ’SHRM., PLAIN Spaghetti Sauce 28 32 o z .
