Have you ever thought about what it is you are really breathing in on a daily basis? As people in our area may not be too concerned with the subject, it is definitely something the citizens of southern California are questioning and dealing with as the blazing fires continue to desecrate the southern portion of our Golden State.
No matter if you mentally label yourself someone from the infamous nor-cal or the trendy so-cal, we are all to blame for the poor air quality we produce when we participate in wood burning.
When a close friend of mine that goes to school in San Diego came home last week due to the campus being "smoked out", the question of air quality in and around the San Diego area came to mind. All I could think about is how harmful and dangerous the air people are breathing in is and what affects it has on them.
My friend Kelly mentioned how just by walking from her afternoon class to her car, her chest began to severely hurt as did her head. Kelly, along with all of the other victims of the recent tragic fires, are dealing with symptoms like these and in some areas facing fatalities due to inhaling the smoke that is everywhere in the surrounding area.
According to an indepedent health research study done by CNN, when people breathe in smoke from wood burning fires, the small particles from the wood along with carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other chemicals enter the lungs.
Once the particles of wood enter the person's air passage, microscopic pieces of smoldering cinder become trapped in the membrane of the lungs causing a severe burning feeling accompanied by coughing and breathing problems.
The poisonous gases can damage these tissues as well as brain cells that are crucial for everyday functions.
With San Diego being something on a larger scale, a similar example can be brought down to size to make an example in our own homes.
What makes every Thanksgiving and Christmas movie have that extra warm fuzzy feeling? No I am not talking about stories of needy families recieving financial and emotional help from family and friends or small children recieving BB guns from a father that puts his prized lamp above his family.
Fires. The thought of a young couple or a loving family all sitting next to the fireplace enjoying each others company gives holiday movies that extra "warm and fuzzy" factor.
No matter if your coming autumn and winter evenings are spent with a loved one's company or you are taking some time for yourself, when you decide to curl up next to the fire in the next few months think about what you and your cozy fire are putting out in the air for everyone to breathe.
Yes it is the same type of smoke that people in San Diego are experiencing today. Although the size of the fires and the smoke produced from it is on a completly different level compared to your homes fireplace, it is still the same idea.
The thought of a "cozy" fire still seem so appealing to you? As fire being something that people use for heat as well as looks, there is a way these agendas can be met but in a way that is safe for the atmosphere as well as the bodies that occupy it.
By burning Duraflame's new logs, you can drastically cut down on the chemicals that are emitted by wood fires. These logs are made from recycled saw dust and are now made with natural oils rather then petroleum products like in previous years.
This means there is little to no carbon molecules emitted when you burn these logs in your fireplace. Also, one Duraflame log burns as long and with as much heat as four wood logs of the same size would.
As my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost everything in the recent fires, I can only hope that this unfortunate event will help raise awareness on wood burning and the impact we have on our surroundings.
So before you set the mood or try to warm up the house with a fire, think about doing the environment, your neighbors and most importantly yourself some good by switching to Duraflame fire logs.
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