Environment
Open Burning
It is not uncommon for people to throw trash in their wood stove or furnace or even to burn it in a barrel in the back yard. Many people do not realize that the open burning of household waste is dangerous to the public health and the environment, as well as being inconsiderate to neighbors. The burning of materials containing plastics and rubber, used oil, tires, treated wood, animal manure, materials from commercial industrial, and municipal operations, as well as waste from building and construction sites is prohibited under section 8.1 of the PEI Environmental Protection Act.
Old barrels, wood stoves, and furnaces do not reach high enough temperatures to destroy many dangerous chemicals created during the burning of waste. Instead, they smolder and smoke, releasing harmful air pollutants, ash and dense smoke. The air contaminants released depend on the materials burned and the conditions of the fire. For example, treated wood releases toxic chemicals that are carried off with the plume, or leach from the ash after the fire has been extinguished, contaminating surface or groundwater. The Department receives numerous calls each year from people who are bothered by the smoke from their neighbors back yard burning.
The greatest health risk from open burning of waste is to those who breathe the smoke. The pollutants generated may cause irritation of the nose, throat and skin, as well as various respiratory problems. This is a major concern, as P.E.I. has one of the highest incidences of asthma in Canada. The many hydrocarbons produced during the burning process also pose a cancer risk and are a threat to the environment as they are highly persistent, mobile and bio-accumulative.
You may not consider burning waste in the backyard to be a major cause of air pollution, but remember, as the saying goes....every bit counts!!
This information has been taken from website "Environment"