Cancer and polluted air in Oregon

We live in Oregon, and before our current neighbors moved in about five years ago, we enjoyed breathing some beautiful fresh, clean air. They decided to install a wood burning stove, and the emissions drop down and congregate all around our house.

In discussions, they kept bringing up the fact that their stove has two filters and doesn’t generally emit much smoke. It’s not always the smoke, it’s the particulates that do the damage to lungs and bronchial tubes. It feels like someone is rubbing a fine grade of sandpaper against my throat and makes my eyes water.

The most upside down aspect of this is that a neighbor can control the quality of the very air we breathe. Small particulates not only make it impossible to crack a window open for some fresh air, and make doing minor chores around the house unhealthy, but they get into our home.

I am already battling cancer, and these particulates contribute to, among other things, cancer. The power to pollute that is in the hands of any one person or family, is way out of proportion to the benefit. Our area has some of the cheapest, cleanest generated energy anywhere. We need legislation to ban burning in the city! The so-called “efficient burning” stove is still a huge contributor to harmful pollution, and in our case, has forced us to selling or renting our home, and moving.

The photo is of the particulate measuring device I bought. This is just one reading, some are lower and some much higher. But it’s hours and hours daily of exposure.