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Jason,<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/28/2013 12:57 AM, Jason wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAM0wPSV9QFhfrwSyxhiH8D+DGF-+KiLFK5aGNzvNJ1rhrHKxjw@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">PS. I have one aquaintance in New Zealand that is
challenging the science around respiratory disease and emissions
from wood smoke. He says the link is tenuous and the early bogus
studies keep getting repeated and used as justification to ban
wood stoves.
</blockquote>
<br>
Water is necessary for life and too much can drown you. Similarly
with some things, a little can be of benefit. I recall a study of
woodcutters that showed they had increased resistance to colds, and
this was attributed to intermittent exposure to wood smoke. On the
other hand, the WHO says that 1.6 million people die every year from
exposure to indoor air pollution, i.e. also (for the most part) wood
smoke. (Coal smoke is far more deadly.) The epidemiology is pretty
well established.<br>
<br>
The term of art is hormesis, for which wikipedia offers the
definition:<br>
<blockquote>Hormesis is the generally favorable biological response
to low exposures to toxins and other stressors. A pollutant or
toxin showing hormesis thus has the opposite effect in small doses
as in large doses. ...<br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormesis">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormesis</a> <br>
</blockquote>
<br>
As far as the most common contributors to air pollution, it may end
up that airborne particulate matter of a certain size range,
particularly where the makeup of the particles includes irritants
leading to inflammation, will be seen to be most at fault for
negative impacts on health. Not wood smoke, exactly, in other words,
but some things found in wood smoke, may well be identified as the
key bad actors. That would be my current best guess, where I am
solidly grounded in nearly perfect ignorance.<br>
<br>
It may be hard to get around the better safe than sorry approach
that many might be inclined to take. The future promises to have
more regulation, from almost any point of view.<br>
<br>
<br>
d.<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<div style="font:Georgia" ;=""><span style="font-size:110%;">David
William House<br>
</span>
<div style="padding-left:3em;font-size:80%;">"The Complete
Biogas Handbook" <code><a href="www.completebiogas.com">www.completebiogas.com</a>
</code>
<br>
<em>Vahid Biogas</em>
, an alternative energy consultancy <code><a
href="www.vahidbiogas.com">www.vahidbiogas.com</a>
<br>
<br>
</code>
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<code>
<div style="padding-left:2em;">"Make no search for water.
But find thirst,<br>
And water from the very ground will burst."
<div style="padding-left:2em;font-size:80%;">(Rumi, a
Persian mystic poet, quoted in <em>Delight of Hearts</em>
, p. 77) <br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://bahai.us/">http://bahai.us/</a></div>
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