The installation of solid wood burning fires may be banned in all new homes within the Sydney metropolitan area.The Local Government Association will begin lobbying the New South Wales Government to end their sale.

Pitt Water Mayor Patricia Giles said delegates at the association's conference agreed the fires added significantly to Sydney's air pollution and affected asthma sufferers. 
© 1998 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Waverley Council, Sydney has already pre-empted these negotiations by voting in April 2000 to ban the installation of all new wood heaters. The above is welcome news for those who have to suffer the health effects of woodsmoke pollution from their neighbours.  If owners don't operate their brand new AS4013 heater with care, it can produce smoke like this chimney or  this one.  Both pictures show typical smoke emissions from AS4013 heaters produced for about 6-8 hours every night after the owners retire.
 

True stories:  neighbours' woodheaters made life hell Experience of the neighbours living next to the first chimney Story of a Brisbane lady forced to move house because of her neighbour's woodsmoke A NSW coastal paradise made hell when neighbours installed AS4013 woodheaters Forced to give up singing career because of health damage when a neighbour installed AS4013 woodheater Spent the night coughing after AS4013 heater sets off smoke alarm Other case histories

Summer might seem like a strange time to start talking about wood fires and the smoke they produce. But the reality is many people will be making their winter heating decisions weeks or even months before the onset of the cold season. 
Air monitoring carried out throughout the (Perth) metropolitan area shows that wood smoke is the major contributor to particulate pollution otherwise known as haze. And suburbs in the City of Melville have been identified as pollution 'hot spots' or major contributors to the haze problem. 

Apart from the unpleasant smells and haze that results, there are more sinister side effects on health. Fine particles are inhaled into our bodies - some are breathed out again but an amount remains lodged within out lungs. People with medical conditions such as bronchitis, emphysema and asthma experience more severe symptoms as a result. 

In an effort to combat the problem, the City of Melville's Health Services have teamed up with AlintaGas to look at ways of improving the situation. The result is a special programme that offers incentives to householders to replace existing wood heaters and replace them with gas appliances. 
Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel - it provides heat without smoke. It is also a reliable and economically viable heat alternative to burning wood. As an incentive, AlintaGas is offering local people discount on gas heaters, free connection to the AlintaGas mains supply and special deals on heater installation and bayonet points, (conditions apply so ask for details. 

The programme is due to be launched in April. 
For more information on the programme please contact the City of Melville's Health Services on Telephone 9364 0622.