Grass field burning is hazardous to your health
Smoke from field burning contains many particles and gases. Microscopic bits of material - called particulate matter (PM) - are carried up in the smoke and carried by the wind.
When smoke envelopes communities, people breathe in these particles. Larger particles are filtered through the nose, but most particles are only 2.5 microns or smaller in diameter (less than 1/25th the diameter of a human hair). These tiny particles can penetrate deep into the inner areas of the lung, where the oxygen exchange takes place.
Incomplete burning and chemicals used on fields to promote plant growth or fight weeds can create cancer-causing materials, which also are carried in the smoke.
Everyone is affected by these by-products of burning and may show such health effects as:
- Irritated eyes, nose, mouth
- Increased coughing and wheezing
- Increased respiratory illness
- Decreased lung function
- Possible development of lung disease
While some people consider the smoke simply irritating, others are at greater risk for serious health problems. The elderly, people with asthma or other respiratory diseases, and those with chronic heart or lung disease are particularly vulnerable. Children also are in greater danger because their airways are smaller and more susceptible, and they are generally less resistant to air pollutants than healthy adults.
Health effects for these people include:
- Increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits
- Increased use of medication
- Death
There is no effective way of protecting yourself from field burning smoke once it is airborne. Staying indoors is not reliable because smoke and the dangerous particles it contains can easily seep in.
Also, there is no reliable way to "control" field burning. Smoke can become very intense very quickly, spread over a large geographical area, and remain in a region for a long period of time. The only dependable way of managing smoke is by removing the source.
Adapted from "Facts About Particulate Air Pollution & Health",
The American Lung Association of Washington
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