Brighton & Hove City Council has asked residents to rethink having open fires, bonfires, and using wood burning stoves during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Councillor Anne Pissaridou, chair of the council’s environment committee, said:
“At a time when millions of people are being forced to stay at home, more people than ever are using their gardens for fresh air and exercise.
“And with the weather starting to improve people with and without gardens are opening their windows to get some welcome fresh air into their homes.
“I just think that most of our residents would rather not have a bonfire going on near to them in the current situation, and would rather not have to breathe in unnecessary smoke if they don’t have to.”
One of the main reasons that the council is warning against fires is the fact that COVID-19 is a virus that attacks the lungs:
“We also need to be mindful that Coronavirus is a respiratory disease. A lot of people have concerns that the extra smoke generated by wood burners, log fires and bonfires may be making things worse for people who already have health problems.
While the council have not outright banned fires, they are strongly urging residents to think hard about their actions and the possible implications they could have on those around them:
“So during this time of national crisis we’re just saying please think of others and try to avoid making things worse for them.”
Featured image: © Dom on Unsplash
Hooray for the suggestion to not burn wood, especially at this critical time of Coronavirus contamination. Wood smoke is never healthy for anyone, and it is especially deadly to children, unborn babies, pregnant moms and anyone with asthma, COPD and other lung or heart conditions. That’s a lot of people! And we all share the air.
Wood smoke is a severe respiratory irritant that is best to avoid at all times, especially during the Coronavirus. Its caustic fumes first invade the airways and mucous membranes, causing inflammation, which in turn paves the way for colds, flu, asthma and viruses. Why take a chance on breathing it? Wood smoke is also deadly to children, unborn children, the elderly, and anyone with lung or cardiac disease or other disabilities. Its black carbon soot fine particles hasten climate change, which is disastrous in its own right..