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Dr. Kim Mulvihill ReportingA roaring fire in the fireplace makes a home so warm and cozy, but that wonderful and warm hearth can actually be a killer for some people.
Many families may gather around the fireplace, and with the price of natural gas skyrocketing, what's better than a "rip roaring" fire to cut down on energy bills? But hold on. Before you toss a log into your hearth, understand that for many children and adults, a warm and cozy fire can be toxic.
Robyn Bowen, Has Three Children With Asthma: "Sometimes I can hear their wheezing, but sometimes I can see they are really struggling to breathe."
Robyn Bowen's children have asthma. Wood burning can trigger an attack.
Robyn Bowen: "It's really awful "
This winter, doctors are preparing for the worst.
Dr. Harold Farber, MD, Children's Lung Disease Specialist: "What we use to think of as wonderful and warm and natural can actually be a killer."
Dr. Harold Farber is a lung disease specialist at Kaiser Permenente.
Dr. Farber: "We all love our fireplaces and we don't realize the amount of particulate matter, the amount of carcinogens that those fireplaces emit, that both pollute our own homes and pollutes our whole neighborhood."
The act of burning wood creates a toxic soup of airborne chemicals and releases ultra fine particles, known as particulate matter, into the air.
Dr. Farber: "Those ultra-fine particulates are associated with lung damage, lung cancer and heart disease."
To cut down on the risk, the bay area air district began a "spare the air tonight" campaign. When particulate matter reaches a certain level, the district will ask residents refrain from burning wood.
Jack Broadwent: "It's good for families, it's good for homes and good for the neighborhood. Don't burn wood."
Robyn hopes people will listen.
