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Burning Flax Straw: It Doesn’t Just Disappear by N.Lee Pengilly This article is one of a series developed by the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission (SFDC) to raise awareness of alternatives and the societal impacts associated with the burning flax straw. Working with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan on an Agri-Environmental Group Plan (AEGP) for straw management, the AEGP initiative enables producers to work together to strategically address a specific agri-environmental priority. For flax producers in Saskatchewan, this means working through SFDC to develop a suite of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPS) that will (a) improve air quality and (b) enhance the economic opportunities for flax straw available to producers. 
To many of us, there is a certain nostalgia associated with the smell of smoke. In long ago times, one of the most common rituals of the Midsummer Celebration was a bonfire. In some flax-growing areas, the height the flax could be expected to grow was estimated by the height to which the flames rose. To present-day Saskatchewanians, smoke in the air can evoke memories of summer campfires, burning leaves in the fall and the comfort of wood burning stoves in the winter. But to many people in today’s population, smoke and the particulates it sends into the air poses a very real health risk. Paul Van Loon of the Lung Association of Saskatchewan explains, "It’s not that people don’t care about the harmful effects of burning and the smoke it creates, it’s more that they are unaware of it. In an area like Saskatchewan, people are generally less mindful of air quality than other issues. For example, where people will care and take action regarding litter on the ground because it has a visual impact, when it comes to smoke, most people think it just disappears because you can’t see it." Although there may be no such visual impact there is nonetheless a very powerful health impact. To those suffering from COPD (the general term for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), smoke of any type – including that from flax straw - can pose a real health hazard. People who suffer with these conditions are faced with either having to stay indoors, taking increased medication, missing work or school days and potentially making a rushed trip to the emergency room of the closest hospital. This group also includes asthma sufferers to whom smoke and the particulates it discharges triggers an asthma attack. For people with these diseases, one day of being exposed to breathing crop residue smoke can mean several days of feeling sick. Most often it is the elderly, the very young and anyone with a compromised immune system who faces the brunt of these effects. According to Paul, "For whatever reason, we are a changing population and many people are becoming more sensitive to certain environmental conditions." Although the burning of flax straw is a very seasonal and often localized issue, the Lung Association of Saskatchewan is committed to informing producers of the tremendous effect their actions can have on some of our most vulnerable people. As Paul continued, "When it comes to residue burning, no one is out to intentionally harm anybody, but the reality is there are many people who are dealing with a health issue that is very real and relevant to both themselves and their families." The Lung Association of Saskatchewan website advises that if producers have to burn because of extenuating circumstances, they should take the following into consideration:
Although legislation to eliminate or limit burning is already in place in many regions around the world, it seems that for the time being, the powers that be are requesting producers to voluntarily comply. For more information, contact the Lung Association of Saskatchewan at 1-888-566-5864 or visit their website: www.sk.lung.ca. Click on “Air” then follow these links: About the Air We Breathe/ Outdoor Air Quality/ Open Burning. Remember, the air we breathe belongs to all of us. N. Lee Pengilly is a freelance researcher and writer. She and her family own and operate a ranch in eastern Saskatchewan. For more information: |
