If you have a wood stove in your home, there are some good tips on how to burn wood properly at the EPA website, Burnwise. They recommend burning only dry, seasoned wood (like the wood in this picture from their website) in a HOT fire. Ignore their comment about starting fires with newspaper as burning trash in your home releases chemicals, inks, and dyes, and we have wonderful birch bark all around us to use as a fire starter.
It is also recommended to have a carbon monoxide tester in your home. Wood stoves can release CO if the fire does not completely burn, and gas stoves may release large amounts of CO. You should have a gas stove vented to the outside, and if not, you should at least make sure to open windows when you cook. It is important to note that gas stoves usually release the most amount of CO when the stove is first turned on, so make sure to open a window then. A great CO detector is High Quality Carbon Monoxide Detector, made by CO experts. This detector displays a constant reading of CO levels in your home. Most detectors only warn residents at higher levels when there is immediate danger to one's health. However, chronic exposure to low levels of CO in your home causes serious health effects, including headache, depression, nausea, vomiting, and sluggishness. The price of one of these detectors can run pretty high, but I may be able to get a good discount by making a large order. Please let me know if you are interested in getting one of these detectors by calling me at the Trust lands at 475-2027 or emailing at yvettec@boreal.org.
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