Nice campfire, but how good is its smoke for you?/Kurt Repanshek file
Campfires have been part of camping in the National Park System forever, most likely. There certainly were campfires in the area we now know as Yellowstone National Park before it was a park. But is the smoke from campfires good for you?
Smoke from one small campfire probably isn't terrible for you, unless you sit immediately downwind of the flames. But, what about those campgrounds with dozens and dozens of campsites, each one with its own fire ring?
During a recent stay at the Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park many of those fire rings got used. When the sun went down, the dancing flames, and their choking smoke, went up. For the next five or six hours the smoke swirled and blew and at times downright stunk (especially when people doused the flames with water; a good thing, but the smell is not so good.)
Being directly downwind of two of those campsites with campfires, we ate, smelled, and suffered through a lot of smoke during our two nights there. Not fun. And when the winds kicked up with gusts that seemed to reach 25-35 mph, I worried about flying sparks melting holes in our tent, or even setting a real wildfire.
Recently there have been stories in the news about the pollutants carried in the smoke from last year's wildfires in the West. One just came out last week from the University of California at Berkeley, and said:
Wildfire smoke can trigger a host of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, ranging from a runny nose and cough to a potentially life-threatening heart attack or stroke. A new study suggests that the dangers posed by wildfire smoke may also extend to the largest organ in the human body and our first line of defense against outside threat: the skin.
“Existing research on air pollution and health outcomes has focused primarily on cardiac and respiratory health outcomes, and understandably so. But there is a gap in the research connecting air pollution and skin health,” said study lead author Raj Fadadu, a student in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program. “Skin is the largest organ of the human body, and it’s in constant interaction with the external environment. So, it makes sense that changes in the external environment, such as increases or decreases in air pollution, could affect our skin health.”
Other studies have pointed out the bad health effects wood smoke causes on youngsters' respiratory systems, raised questions about the health impacts of bacteria and fungi carried into the air smoke from fires, and claimed wood smoke is worse for you than your car's exhaust.
Now, imagine if your lungs are comprised for some reason, or you have heart issues, or both. Do you pitch your tent or park your RV in a campground where you might fall to sleep with dozens, or possibly more than 100, campfires flickering outside your thin tent walls or RV? Sure, it's not like a 10,000-acre wildfire bellowing smoke, but at times the campground smoke can hover in place.
We're searching for specific studies on the health effects of campground campfire smoke and will relay them if we find any, but in the meantime, what do you think about campfire smoke in national park campgrounds.
Comments
An interesting dilemma as campfires are such a cultural activity. A few nights camping does not equate with a firefighter working on a fire line. The example used while significant is a very extreme one and does not fairly represent the real issue if there is one.
As a campground volunteer for the past six years, my lungs have had their fill of campfire smoke. Not to mention eyes, clothing, and now it's skin, too? They make propane campfire alternatives nowadays -- three years ago during a fire ban I saw a group around a campfire, rushed over to tell them of the $500 that the local law enforcement was very quick to give, and it turned out to be propane. Completely realistic and their s'mores looked just as tasty. Allowed during fire bans, too!
I find it endlessly ironic that people escape to the pristine outdoors yet bring along their air and noise pollution.
Campfires are a part of the camping experienc.
There is no minimum safe level of wood smoke. Wood smoke is primarily made up of PM2.5s which are small enough to enter the lowest part of our lungs and cross over into our blood stream which carries toxins to every organ.
Particulate matter is a class 1 carcinogen the same as asbestos or mustard gas. You would not beathe any amount of them would you?
People go to campgrounds to enjoy themselves, not to be made ill. Time to stamp out this smoke.
I've been camping my whole life (70+) Eagle Scout. Lots of miles on the AT and Ozark Trail. Now in a small trailer with my wife. We rarely have a campfire. Occaional use satisfies the cultural necessity. But do we need s'mores every night? A guitar sing along every night? No.
We appreciate the natural sounds of the night. The stars. The moon. The fresh breezes. Everybody should be able to build and tend a campfire if they want to. But every night?
I don't understand why campfires are allowed, any other activity that had such an impact on unwilling neighbors would be banned immediately.
And that's exactly the problem, your neighbors get to share the experience whether they want to or not.
Whether it's fire pits in backyards or campfires, the real issue is most people are ignorant of basic fire building basics. If you know how to build and tend a fire it won't be smoky. There is an artistry to maintaining a proper fire so it is safe and not a nuisance to others. If you use green, or wet wood, it will smoke. If you just put wood in a haphazard pile it will smoke. If you toss garbage and other things on it, it will smoke. If you let it smolder or stop tending it, it will smoke. Moreover, the wood you burn has a fragrance, some wood just plain smells bad when you burn it. This happens often in neighborhoods when people take chemically treated or junk wood that is leftover. Perhaps the real issue isn't just whether people should have a fire, but rather whether people are trained to build and tend and put out a fire.