Fire pits pose a huge health hazard even when they are burning the required wood.

Scientists have determined that sitting near a pit burning this wood for one hour is the equivalent of smoking 16 cigarettes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency quoted in Scientific American, the small particles that are released into the air are the most dangerous inhalants. These damage the throat and lung tissue and can cause them to feel irritated for as long as two weeks. But the damage to air sacs in the lungs can be permanent.

People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and other auto immune diseases are prone to be badly affected by the smoke of open fire pit burning as are normally healthy adults. Young children are at high risk for serious damage to their lungs.

Smoke from these open pits doesn’t stay still but permeates homes and neighbors’ air and comes into closed up homes through cracks and leaks hardly visible. It is far different from charcoal or gas barbecue smoke and does far more damage (see http//burningissues.org).

Big box stores are selling out of this dangerous fad. Cities and towns are slowly being made aware of this huge health hazard and have yet to install prohibitive laws.

But it will hopefully happen before it’s too late for those who could be affected.

After all, anthropologists place the morbidity of age 28 for people who sat around open wood burning fires after studying their badly damaged lungs. Mercer Island residents have enjoyed relatively good air quality until now.

The camaraderie of the fire pit is great but the price is entirely too high.

Gale Kessler

Mercer Island