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Outdoor wood boilers up for discussion Nov. 20

By Natasha Clark

Assistant Managing Editor





EAST LONGMEADOW On Nov. 20 the Board of Selectmen will host an outdoor wood boiler hearing at East Longmeadow High School at 7 p.m.

Wood boilers have been an ongoing discussion in many surrounding towns due to potential health and environmental hazards. While some towns and cities have established strict regulations based on those of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, others such as Chicopee, Holyoke, and Longmeadow have banned them.

Environmentalist, engineer, and professor of alternative energy Curt Freedman is scheduled to speak at the Tuesday hearing.

A resident of Longmeadow, Freedman has traveled throughout Massachusetts speaking on outdoor wood boilers and recently published an article on the subject in the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards' publication. He said he was contacted by Dennis Bruno, of Concerned Citizens for Clean Air and Better Health, to talk about the issue in East Longmeadow.

Freedman said these boilers are not compatible with high density residential land development and "are especially troublesome in densely populated neighborhoods." He said the main reason citizens are attracted to them are for cost saving benefits, "especially with crude oil over $98 per barrel.

"Many people will be experiencing higher energy costs this year. There are much better alternatives than outdoor wood boilers," Freedman said, adding that he plans to speak about some of those possibilities on Nov. 20. "There is a place for these outdoor boilers but it needs to be respectful of the neighbors and their health. There needs to be an appropriate balance."

According to Freedman, outdoor wood boilers have been "well documented to contain high levels of fine particulate (PM2.5) pollution; PM2.5 are so small that they can pass directly into the bloodstream and also contain many carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde that cause eye and lung irritation as well. Communities that have banned and properly regulated Outdoor Wood Boilers (OWBs) have acted responsibly; an OWB produces more than 1,500 times the pollution of a natural gas furnace."

Residents are encouraged to attend the hearing.